Castagnozzi Leads The Diamond Heels Past Elon

Tuesday, February 22

Chapel Hill

4 p.m.

North Carolina

Elon

Johnny Castagnozzi
University of North Carolina Baseball v Vanderbilt
Boshamer Stadium
Chapel Hill, NC
Friday, October 15, 2021

February 22, 2022 | Baseball

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By: Jody Jones

CHAPEL HILL – Sophomore Johnny Castagozzi went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and four RBIs to lead North Carolina to a 5-1 win over Elon at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday.

With the victory the Tar Heels improved to 4-0, while Elon fell to 1-3.

Castagnozzi doubled off the top of the center field wall in the fourth to drive in two, then hit a moon shot over the scoreboard in left field in the eighth inning to plate two more runs. It was his fourth multi-hit game in as many games this season.

Siena transfer Connor Bovair struck out seven of 11 batters faced in 3.0 innings of relief to earn his first win as a Tar Heel. Elon starter Ian Evans took the loss.

NOTABLES

The Diamond Heels are 4-0 for the fourth straight season.
UNC won its 15th straight game against Elon and improved to 40-9 all-time against the Phoenix dating back to 1909.
Carolina has allowed just seven runs through the first four games, the fewest yielding only five runs in the first five games of the 2013 season.
Eight of the Tar Heels' 12 hits against Elon came from four players. Castagnozzi, Angel Zarate, Tomas Frick and Vance Honeycutt collected two hits apiece.
Sophomore Will Sandy made his first start since March 23, 2021, at East Carolina. He allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts this afternoon. It was his longest outing since pitching 4.2 innings against ECU last season.
Shawn Rapp made his third appearance of the season, pitching a scoreless 1.1 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Elon got on the board first in the top of the third inning as Alex Iadisernia singled to right field to drive in Parker Haskin, who reached on a two-out error.
Carolina took the lead in the fourth inning as Castagnozzi doubled off the top of the center field fence to score Alberto Osuna, who reached on a one-out single, and Vance Honeycutt, who preceded Castagnozzi with a double off the left field wall.
Bovair entered the game in the fifth inning and struck out the first two batters he faced after the seventh, fanning the final two batters he faced.
Mac Horvath drove in the Tar Heels' third run of the night with a two-out base hit through the left side to score Patrick Alvarez.
After Frick singled to start the eighth, Catagnozzi launched a ball over the videoboard in left field to make it 5-1.
Rapp got the first out of the night and Kyle Mott came in the get the final two, striking out the first batter he faced and then inducing a fly out.

UP NEXT

The Diamond Heels return to the field on Friday to take on No. 25 East Carolina in the first of a three-game series. Friday and Saturday's games will be played in Chapel Hill before trekking east to Greenville for Sunday's finale.