Vance Honeycutt blasts three-run homer to put North Carolina on the board vs. LSU

North Carolina leadoff hitter Vance Honeycutt came through with the play of the game so far in the fifth inning vs. LSU on Saturday. With the NCAA Tournament Regional matchup still scoreless, Honeycutt approached the plate for the third time after failing to record a hit in his first two at bats.

That wouldn’t be the case this time.

With two runners already on, Honeycutt stepped up and connected to send a pitch to deep left field and over the fence for a home run. That put the Tar Heels up 3-0 entering the top of the sixth as they hope to inch closer to punching their ticket to Super Regionals.

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Over the netting for career home run 6⃣0⃣ and the lead! pic.twitter.com/EtEGIQSq6o

— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) June 1, 2024

That would be the first of two home runs on the day for Honeycutt, as he would also go yard on a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh. That wouldn’t come before LSU added two runs in the top of the seventh, and the score is currently 4-2 in favor of North Carolina in the top of the eighth.

With his two home runs Saturday, Vance Honeycutt now has 61 total for his career. He leads the Tar Heels with 24 home runs thus far on the season. UNC actually ranks 21st in the country with 56 total home runs.

Carolina has been one of the top team in the country thus far in 2024 to earn the No. 4 overall seed. If it can manage just one more victory, it will move on to Super Regional play for the 13th time on program history.

If it gets there, Honeycutt will likely once again be a key force.

The Tar Heels went on to claim a 6-2 win Saturday and are now just one victory away from advancing to Super Regional action. They move on to face the winner between Wofford and LSU at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

LSU coach Jay Johnson following the loss to North Carolina

LSU coach Jay Johnson offered his thoughts following the loss to the Tar Heels.

“We worked too hard to get here to let a little disappointment get in the way of what is in front of us. I’ve done it in a regional and done it in Omaha twice, so I feel good about what we have available, I really do.”

“This is a little more than what we did in Hoover, but it’s the format. We knew that going in. Thats why we threw Gage yesterday and Luke today, so that we didn’t have to do that. It’s my first time in four years I haven’t been sitting on 2-0, but the best wins I’ve had in my career, including Omaha last year, came in elimination games. I have full confidence in our team we will execute. Our goal isn’t just to get out of here now. Our goal is to have the best day we’ve had as a team tomorrow.”