Honeycutt hits 2 HRs: UNC beats NC State, wins ACC tourney
May 29, 2022, 12:44 AM | Updated: 12:49 pm
North Carolina's Vance Honeycutt hits a two-run home run against NC State during the first inning in an NCAA college baseball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament final Sunday, May 29, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C.(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Vance Honeycutt hit two more home runs and, Angel Zarate went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and North Carolina beat N.C. State 9-5 on Sunday to win the ACC Tournament and clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Honeycutt, who also hit two homers in North Carolina’s win over top-seeded Virginia Tech on Friday, became the first player in program history to record at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season and is the first freshman in the NCAA to accomplish the feat since at least 2011.
Devonte Brown hit a lead-off double and scored on a single by Josh Hood to give N.C. State a 1-0 lead but the Tar Heels responded with two-run home run by Honeycutt in the bottom of the first and exploded for six runs in the second to make it 8-1.
Tomas Frick led off the bottom of the second when he reached on a fielding error, Hunter Stokely followed with a single and Colby Wilkerson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Zarate singled up the middle to score Frick and Stokely and Wilkerson scored on a double by Danny Serretti before Honeycutt struck again, hitting a three-run bomb over the wall in left.
Brown and LuJames Groover III each went 3-for-5 with an RBI for No. 10 seed N.C. State (36-20).
North Carolina, which won its eighth ACC title, has won seven consecutive games.
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