Diamond Heels: Tar Heels complete sweep of Clemson for perfect week!

The Diamond Heels began the week with resounding victories over Elon and Campbell before their huge series win against Clemson!

The Diamond Heels seem to be on a collision course with a top eight national seed.

After UNC knocked off Campbell and Elon during the week, their biggest win came over the weekend.

Carolina continued to roll through the ACC this week, taking another series, this time from Clemson.

For a team that entered the year with a lot of question marks, they have seemed to answer the bell on every single one.

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There were questions about the bullpen, which has turned out to be one of the biggest assets on the team.

There were questions about the depth of the offense, and the team has been better than almost all the other ACC teams on offense.

Then, there was the pitching staff.

The staff showed from day one how dominant it can be. JB Bukauskas is 8-0, and a favorite for pitcher of the year.

Luca Dalatri has proven to be a reliable number two, and the rest of the starters have done a great job holding down the days when those two do not pitch.

The questions have been answered, now lets hope the team stays on track until tournament time!

UNC 11, Elon 2

The Diamond Heels kicked off their busy week with a resounding thumping of Elon. T

his one was never in doubt. The Heels opened up with a 3-0 lead after one, and that was all she wrote.

The team collected 14 hits, all spread out over eight different hitters. Center fielder Brian Miller led the damage by going 4-for-5 with three RBI’s, and three runs scored. This was certainly one of Miller’s most impressive games of the season.

Brandon Riley also had a great game, going 2-for-3 with three RBI’s also. Riley also later came around to score.

On the mound, it was Tyler Baum who did a majority of the work, going four full innings. Baum allowed four hits, gave up two walks, and struck out three on his way to a no decision.

Five other pitchers saw action for the Heels against the Phoenix. All five of the pitchers went one full inning, with Trevor Gay being the man who comes out with the win!

This win was big for the Heels, establishing some momentum heading into the big weekend they had!

UNC 7, Campbell 1

The Campbell Camels came to Chapel Hill for a mid-week game, and quickly got sent back home by the hot Diamond Heels. Campbell came into the game with a sub-.500 record and took one of the Heels toughest punches.

Carolina, fresh off their dominant win against Elon, got some solid pitching from five different guys in route to the 7-1 victory.

Jason Morgan got the start and went three innings, only allowing one hit in his time. Rodney Hutchison, who followed Morgan, went for two innings and gave up one hit while getting his fifth win of the season. Brett Daniels, Trevor Gay  and Bo Weiss also saw time for the Heels out of the pen.

At the plate, it was Logan Warmoth who had the big day for the Diamond Heels. Warmoth was 3-for-5 with three RBI’s. First baseman Zack Gahagan also had a great day, going 2-for-4, with two RBI’s and a run scored.

Following the Campbell game, Logan Warmoth’s average sat at .339. It has truly been a great season for the Tar Heel shortstop!

UNC 5, Clemson 1

The Diamond Heels bats seemed to be silent on Friday, up until the seventh inning, where they came alive for a hot five-run inning!

The Heels could only muster up six hits, but it was still enough for them to get the series opening win over Clemson.

Clemson came into the game with a 34-8 record, one game better than the Heels. This series turned out to be huge for the ACC standings.

Michael Busch was the hero of the day for the Diamond Heels. Busch, who has already proven how clutch he could be this season, came up with a big time, bases-clearing double in the seventh, giving him three RBI’s on the day.

He may have only had one at bat, but Busch was the big man for the Heels.

JB Bukauskas dazzled on Friday night once again, going seven innings while only giving up five hits. Bukauskas gave up the only run of the game to the Tigers in the sixth inning.

Josh Hiatt came on in the eighth and got the final six outs while giving up three hits.

UNC 5, Clemson 4

In another tightly contested game, the Heels blew past the Tigers late once again.

This time, it took until the eighth inning, but the Heels still pulled it off. Carolina put together a magical four-run eighth inning to take the 5-4 lead over the Tigers, and never looked back.

Trotting along slowly until then, the Heels did not get the best of outings from their starter Luca Dalatri.

Dalatri went 7.0 innings only giving up six hits and four runs. But the offense never could get anything going for him.

Brett Daniels came on in the eighth to pick up the win, only pitching one perfect inning. Josh Hiatt also appeared in the game, picking up his 13th save of the season!

According to the Tar Heel baseball record books, Josh Hiatt is closing in on a Tar Heel record. While it may be hard, Josh Hiatt is six saves away from tying the school record set by Michael Morin in 2012. Morin recorded 19 that season.

At the plate, it was fairly evenly spread out for the Diamond Heels. Seven guys got hits, three guys got two of them, and five different players drove in a run. Rightfielder Brandon Riley was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and two runs scored. Kyle Datres also was good, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored!

The Diamond Heels win ensured their eighth straight series win! This one was crucial, allowing them to get some big wins over a high-ranked team.

UNC 3, Clemson 2 (10 inn)

The Heels needed extras on Sunday, but that did not stop them from completing the sweep over the Tigers!

Tyler Lynn won the game in the 10th in one of the most unlikely ways, an infield single! Check out the video below courtesy of Michael Lananna!

Lynn was huge for the Diamond Heels all day. He was 3-for-5, with three RBI’s for the game. He drove in all the runs for the Diamond Heels on Sunday afternoon.

Ashton McGee also had a nice day, going 2-for-5, with a run scored.

On the mound, it was by committee on Sunday. The Diamond Heels sent out four guys, none of which went more than three innings.

Jason Morgan got the start, going three full frames, allowing just two hits, and two runs. Brett Daniels followed him, who went three shutout innings for Carolina. Rodney Hutchison appeared for 1.1 innings, before Josh Hiatt came on.

Hiatt was the man on the mound when the Heels came away with victory. Hiatt got the win to move to 2-1 on the season.

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This sweep was huge for the Diamond Heels. They showed the rest of the ACC that they are the real deal, by sweeping perennial powerhouse Clemson.

Check back this week on Keeping It Heel for more coverage on the Diamond Heels.