UNC Baseball puts on a Home Run Derby to begin ACC Tournament play
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Not one... Not two... Not three... but FOUR home runs in the first inning of the UNC baseball program's ACC Tournament opener against Pittsburgh.
For the second time this season, we hit four jacks in an inning π€― pic.twitter.com/6103jLMuiM
β Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 23, 2024
With Vance Honeycutt sidelined due to what is being called back spasms, Anthony Donofrio filled in the leadoff spot nicely. On a 3-2 pitch to start the game, Donofrio blasted a home run to right center field, but at the time, little did we know that wouldn't be the Diamond Heels' only round trip of the inning.
Immediately following Donofrio's blast, Casey Cook launched a baseball into the seats to extend the lead to 2-0.
Right after the back-to-back lefty jacks, Parks Harber added some power from the right-hand side of the plate, as he deposited a pitch into the left centerfield bleachers.
Two batters later, Alberto Osuna capped off the inning by absolutely crushing a pitch off the scoreboard in left field to give the Tar Heels a 4-0 cushion right out of the gate.
This marks the second time in a span of two weeks that the UNC baseball program has slugged four home runs in an inning, as the team's explosive offense has been well on display. To make the home runs more impressive, each were hit over 106 MPH off the bat, as three of the four homers traveled over 410 feet.
Four-homer first? Four-homer first π
β Pat James (@patjames24) May 23, 2024
π£ Anthony Donofrio: 110.2 mph, 366 feet
π£ Casey Cook: 106.6 mph, 419 feet
π£ Parks Harber: 107 mph, 413 feet
π£ Alberto Osuna: 107.2 mph, 440 feet@DiamondHeels pic.twitter.com/pqr4SV5LxK
The UNC baseball program's offense has been elite all season long, as even without Honeycutt, this lineup still features a ton of depth from 1-9 in the order. If you're the Tar Heels, you simply hope the offense has many more runs to produce over the next few weeks in postseason action.
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