Chapel Hill, N.C. —  The Le Moyne College baseball team dropped the first game of a three-game series with #8 North Carolina on Friday evening at Boshamer Stadium, 16-3.
 
Six different players drove in runs for North Carolina, led by third baseman Cooper Nicholson, who had a home run and double, drove in five runs, and walked once. Second baseman/shortstop Gavin Gallaher, who is 92nd on MLB.com's ranking of 2026 draft prospects, also homered, drove in two runs and walked three times. Designated hitter Colin Hynek and centerfielder Owen Hull each recorded two hits and drove in three runs, while Hynek added three walks.
 
Junior right-hander Jason DeCaro, who is 87th on MLB.com's ranking of 2026 draft prospects, earned the victory for North Carolina after registering five strikeouts and allowing three runs, two of which were earned, in 5.0 innings of work.
 
For Le Moyne, senior first baseman Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) recorded two hits, including a solo shot for his first home run of the season, and senior outfielder Tyler Campbell (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Onondaga C.C.) drove in two runs. Senior centerfielder Paulie Goodness (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon/Finger Lakes C.C.) and sophomore designated hitter Dominick Russ (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) each added two singles in the setback.
 
Redshirt junior right-hander AJ Petraitis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) made the start for Le Moyne, pitching 3.1 innings of work, striking out three and recording the loss. Redshirt sophomore left-hander Max Danaher (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) made his season debut in relief, giving up one hit and allowing zero runs in 1.2 innings of work in his first appearance since May 11, 2024.
 
The Tar Heels loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning and a sacrifice fly by Hull put North Carolina in front 1-0. Two consecutive walks allowed another run to score, and Nicholson drove in three more runs on a double to right center to give the Tar Heels an early 5-0 lead.
 
Singles from Sullivan and freshman second baseman Isaac Brozon (Aurora, N.Y./Southern Cayuga) gave the Dolphins two runners on base with two outs in the top of the second inning. Each runner moved up one base on a passed ball, and Campbell singled to left field to bring both runners home, making it a 5-2 game. 
 
Shortstop Jake Schaffner led off the bottom of the second with a single, and Gallaher homered to make it 7-2.
 
Sullivan hit a two-out solo shot to left center in the top of the third for his first home run of the year, and the team's second overall so far this season. 
 
Hynek hit a one-out triple to left field to score a runner from first base in the bottom of the fourth inning, and later scored on a balk to make it 9-3.
 
A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Tar Heels to begin the bottom of the fifth inning, and a single by catcher Macon Winslow scored a run to make it 10-3. Hull followed with a double down the right field line to push two runs across, and Hynek doubled to left field to score two more and make it 14-3. The next batter struck out before Nicholson smacked a two-run home run over the left field wall to make it 16-3.
 
Right-hander Riley Leatherman came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning for the Tar Heels, and worked around a walk to secure the 16-3 victory for North Carolina. 
 
Le Moyne and North Carolina will continue the series on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.