Diamond Heels: Tar Heels use big week to clinch Coastal

The Diamond Heels have returned to their rightful place, at the top of the ACC Coastal.

The Diamond Heels headed into this week realizing their was one goal to be had: Win the ACC Coastal. They did that on Saturday with their 9-4 win over Virginia Tech.

This is the sixth time since 2006 the Heels have won the Coastal Division.

UNC 7, Davidson 6 (10 innings)

The Heels kicked off their crucial week with a 10-inning thrilling win against the Wildcats.

The big hit of the game came all the way in the tenth inning by designated hitter Ashton McGee.

His walk off RBI double gave the Heels the 7-6 victory, and was their third consecutive walk off win.

McGee was solid at the plate for the whole day, going 2-for-5 with two RBI’s and a run scored. All the other Heels who collected hits only got one a piece.

But four more Heels drove in runs. Brian Miller, Logan Warmoth, Zack Gahagan, and Adam Pate had an RBI a piece.

On the mound, it was Tyler Baum who got the start. Baum went a quick 3.1 innings before being pulled. He gave up five hits and three runs in that span.

The Heels sent out four more pitchers in the game. Hutchison, Daniels, and Gay all saw action., but in the end, it was Josh Hiatt who got the win for the Diamond Heels.

UNC 16, UNC-Asheville 4

Carolina continued their dominance of their weekday opponents with the thrashing of Asheville.

Once again, it was Ashton McGee doing some substantial damage. He went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI’s, a HR, and two runs scored. Just an all around great day for the DH.

Nine different Heels collected a hit against the Bulldogs, and center fielder Brian Miller led the team with three. Miller also had a pair of RBI’s and runs scored.

The Heels had a good day, up until the 8th when they broke through. They scored a total of six runs in that inning, blowing it wide open.

Plenty of pitchers took to the mound for the Diamond Heels but it was Austin Bergner who got the win in relief.

Bo Weiss, the starter, got three full innings of work, allowing four hits and one run. Then Bergner worked for two innings, allowing only one hit in his time on the hill.

Bergner, with the win, moved to 4-2 and the Heels got their 39th win of the season.

UNC 9, Virginia Tech 4

As stated earlier, the Heels used the first game of their Saturday doubleheader to clinch the ACC Coastal division.

It is never easy, but the Diamond Heels sure do make it look that way. Their win also gave them 40 wins on the year. The benchmark of a good baseball program.

Saturday’s first game was a back and forth affair until midway through, when the Heels pulled away.

Tyler Lynn’s homer in the sixth broke the tie once and for all.

That turned out to be Lynn’s only hit, but plenty other Heels contributed. Brandon Riley did the most, cranking out three hits on his way to a 3-for-5 game with three RBI’s.

Miller, Warmoth, and McGee also recorded RBI’s, allowing the Heels to pull away late in the game.

For the first time all season, JB Bukauskas took a beating on the mound. He had his shortest start, going 3.1 innings, giving up four runs in that span.

Rodney Hutchison came in and saved the day, going 4.2 innings while only giving up one hit. Hutchison got the win, and advanced to 6-3 for the year.

Virginia Tech 8, UNC 4

After winning to clinch the coastal, the Diamond Heels struggled to get going in the night-cap of the double-header.

They trailed 3-1 after one inning, and never claimed the lead after that.

Just by looking at the box score, you would not think the Hokies would have won by four. The Heels had only one less hit, and the Hokies made more errors than the Heels.

The Hokies just had more timely hits than the Diamond Heels.

Kyle Datres and Logan Warmoth led the Heels with three hits a piece, and both recorded an RBI. Warmoth continues to dazzle down the stretch of this season.

In the nightcap, it was Luca Dalatri who struggled on the mound. Dalatri, who has been great for the Heels, could not get out of the starting gates.

Dalatri went 5.0 innings, giving up twelve hits, and eight runs. They tried to use Dalatri more due to the doubleheader, and a game on Sunday, just to give the bullpen some rest.

Dalatri fell to 5-3 with the loss.

UNC 20, Virginia Tech 0

Make no mistake, you read that right.

The Heels poured in 20 runs on Sunday, good for their largest shutout in ACC play in program history.

The Heels used five different pitchers on Sunday, with Taylor Sugg going the longest at 3.2 innings. Brett Daniels, who worked for 2.1 innings got the win after giving up only two hits in his time.

The hit parade was a real spectacle on Sunday for the Diamond Heels.

Miller went 5-for-6, Warmoth went 3-for-5, and McGee went 3-for-5 en route to the thrashing of the Hokies. Eight Heels collected a hit, and five of them had more than one.

Gahagan led the team with five RBI’s, and Kyle Datres was just behind him with four.

Just to state how great coach Mike Fox has been over his career, this is the 14th time he has won 40+ games in a season in his career.

One thing that Fox does not have on his resume is a College World Series championship. This is something to keep an eye on this season.

The Diamond Heels are fully capable of bringing one home for coach Fox.

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