Diamond Heels: Tar Heels roll through another week of ACC play

The Tar Heels just won a national championship in basketball, but it’s looking like they may not be done this year.

While the Tar Heels won on the basketball court, the Diamond Heels quietly put together another dominant week.

The Heels hosted the East Carolina Pirates this week, then followed that up with a three-game set against the Eagles of Boston College. Things did not end well for the Eagles.

If things continue to go how they are now, the Diamond Heels could be looking at a top-eight national seed in the NCAA tournament, which is just around the corner.

Let’s check out how the week went.

East Carolina

Tar Heels- 3

Pirates- 2

11 innings

The Heels escaped their early week game against the Pirates in extra innings. They were back at home, following a three-game weekend series against FSU, and collected their 23rd win of the season.

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At the plate, Zack Gahagan and Logan Warmoth were the catalysts for the Heels. The two combined for four of the team’s seven hits, with the other three being spread out over three different batters.

While both of those guys were the hits leaders, neither one was the hero of the night. DH Ashton McGee was previously 0-for-5 on the night, but that changed in the eleventh.

McGee stepped up with the bases full, and Joe Ingle on the mound for the Pirates. He came through in clutch. McGee stroked a fastball to right field, and that ended the ball game.

On the mound for the Heels,  as usual on weekday games, they pitched by committee. Five different guys got action in the eleven innings played, with Austin Bergner collecting his second win of the season.

Winning the weekday games are important for the Heels, because they normally can set the expectations for their highly important weekend series.

Boston College

Game one

Tar Heels- 17

Eagles- 7

What an outburst of offense from the Tar Heels, and it did not end in just game one.

The Heels used their seven-run sixth inning to propel them to the highest run output game this season. Zack Gahagan was the man who did the most damage.

Gahagan accounted for seven runs by himself, good enough to tie BC. He drove in four, and scored three. Warmoth, Datres, and Brian Miller all homered along with Gahagan, to produce a good chunk of the teams runs.

JB Bukauskas did not have his normal lengthy start, but it did not keep the Heels from winning. Reliever Rodney Hutchison got four innings of work, getting his fourth win. Hutchison hurled four innings of scoreless ball for the Tar Heels.

This win was the 24th of the season for the Heels, keeping them on pace to be one of the highest ranked teams come tourney time.

Game two

Tar Heels- 16

Eagles- 4

The Heels and the Eagles played their second and third games in a double-header on Sunday, and both games on Sunday were no different from the first.

The Diamond Heels came out blazing in game one, hanging five runs on the Eagles in the first three innings. But the big outburst came in the fifth inning.

The Heels doubled their run total for the game in the fifth, scoring five more runs, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Kyle Datres was sensational, going 3-for-3, with four RBI’s, and three runs scored. He accounted for seven of the 16 runs alone. Logan Warmoth also was solid, going 3-for-7 for the Heels. He also drove in a run, and scored one.

On the mound, Lucas Dalatri picked up his third win of the year, going six innings, giving up one run, while striking out five. Bo Weiss, Trevor Gay, and Taylor Sugg also got work for the Heels, with Sugg being the only one to allow zero runs.

Once again, every single Tar Heel starter recorded one hit, making this another successful day at the plate for the Heels.

Game three

Tar Heels- 15

Eagles- 3

Eight innings

The last game of the series was just as ugly.

The Heels once again pounced on Boston College, scoring ten runs in the first three innings. This time, the Diamond Heels got another solid outing from their starting pitcher.

Austin Bergner took to the mound, and delivered a five inning start, allowing only two hits and one run for his time out there. Bergner was followed up by Brett Daniels, who was a little shaky, giving up three runs in two innings. Jason Morgan later came in to close the deal in the eighth inning.

At the plate, it was business as usual for the Diamond Heels. Eight of the nine starters got a hit in the second game, with Zack Gahagan being the only one without a hit. Also, seven of the nine starters recorded an RBI, something that seemed to be the theme of the weekend.

Boston College struggled to get off the mat all weekend. They never were able to compete with the firepower the Heels have on the plate, and on the mound.

Related Story: Tar Heels to play South Carolina in Charlotte

Carolina is in for something special should they continue with their hot bats, and potentially another championship in Chapel Hill.