The Diamond Heels split a pair of one-run games with Miami at Boshamer Stadium on Saturday, playing out the conclusion of Friday’s suspended game and squeezing in the series finale in full. Every game in the three-game set was decided by a single run, with the Hurricanes winning two.

Saturday’s completion of Friday’s suspended game capped a back-and-forth thriller which saw Miami go in front 6-0, UNC fight back to take a 7-6 lead and Miami tie it again before the rain came pouring down on Boshamer Stadium, forcing the game’s suspension. At the time of the suspension, the Hurricanes had a runner on third base with only one out, but the Tar Heels wriggled out of the jam by nabbing the Miami runner in a rundown and inducing a ground ball for the third out of the inning.

The game went to extra innings and the Hurricanes wasted no time breaking the tie, homering on the first pitch of the 10th to take the lead once again. Miami then had Carolina down to its final strike in the bottom of the frame before Casey cook sent a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence to keep UNC alive.

After the Hurricanes went scoreless in the 11th, Hunter Stokely ended the marathon by hitting Carolina’s first walk-off home run of the season and giving the Tar Heels a memorable 9-8 win.

Saturday’s second game saw the Tar Heels jump out in front in the second but fall behind 3-1 in the third. Miami pushed that lead to 4-1 before UNC loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Hunter Stokely struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch that both he and head coach Scott Forbes disagreed with, but Tomas Frick laced a single in the next at-bat to score two runs. Unfortunately, Vance Honeycutt attempted to score from first on the play and was thrown out at home plate to end the inning.

UNC loaded the bases once again with one out in the eighth, but pinch hitter Eric Grintz — hitting for Stokely — grounded into an inning-ending double play to scuttle the threat. Carolina wouldn’t get a man on base in the ninth.

The loss snaps UNC’s streak of four consecutive ACC series victories and drops the team’s record to 24-12 and 9-7 in conference play. The Tar Heels will be back in action on Tuesday when they host Charlotte in Chapel Hill at 6 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Ainsley Fauth

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball in the 2025 NCAA Regionals: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Times
It’s down to one game for the Diamond Heels, who fell to Oklahoma 9-5 in Sunday’s regional final – setting up a winner-take-all showdown with the Sooners on Monday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. If you aren’t making it out to the ballpark for UNC’s games, here’s how to follow along […]
'We Can't Overlook Today': UNC Baseball Learning From Past Drama Entering NCAA Tournament
If any team in the country knows not to take a so-called “cupcake” NCAA Tournament game lightly, it’s the Diamond Heels.
UNC Baseball Ranked No. 1 in D1Baseball, USA Today Polls
Both the writers and the coaches agree: the Diamond Heels are No. 1. The D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll ranked UNC No. 1 in the nation this week. Carolina is coming off an ACC Tournament championship in Durham last weekend. Forward focused. #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/oel22W2sUO — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 27, […]
Chansky's Notebook: Tar Heel Trifecta
It was hard to leave the TV screen on a scintillating Sunday across UNC women's lacrosse, baseball and golf.
UNC Baseball Rides Big Inning to Blowout Win in ACC Championship Game
The Diamond Heels scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and crushed No. 5 seed Clemson 14-4 in the ACC Championship Game Sunday afternoon in Durham. The win clinches UNC’s ninth ACC Tournament title, second under fifth-year head coach Scott Forbes and third in the last six tournaments. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 🏆 We're […]
UNC Baseball Uses Late Rally to Beat Florida State in ACC Semifinals
The Diamond Heels scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on their way to a 7-5 victory against No. 2 seed Florida State in the ACC Tournament semifinals Saturday in Durham. UNC will face No. 5 Clemson in the championship game Sunday at 12 p.m. 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐆𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 We're on to the […]
Late Rally Helps UNC Baseball Beat Boston College, Advance to ACC Semifinals
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 2-0 deficit against No. 14 seed Boston College and win 7-2 to advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. Carolina will face No. 2 seed Florida State Saturday at 5 p.m. Cardiac Carolina is back baby! Win 1️⃣ of the […]
UNC Baseball in the ACC Championship: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Time
The Diamond Heels will play in the ACC Tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham this week. Carolina is the No. 3 seed in the field and will face No. 5 Clemson in the championship game Sunday. UNC is seeking its first tournament title since 2022. The tournament’s full bracket can be found […]
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2025 ACC Baseball Tournament
The ACC Baseball Tournament returns to Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham this week. The tournament will begin Tuesday, May 20 and conclude Sunday, May 25. The tournament has a new format this season, moving away from the "Pool Play" model used in years past. This season, the tournament is a simple, single-elimination tournament which mirrors the brackets for the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The top four teams receive double-byes into the quarterfinals, while the teams seeded 5-8 receive byes into the second round. The teams seeded 9-16 will play Tuesday in the opening round.
UNC's Jake Knapp Named ACC Pitcher of the Year; 6 Other Teammates Honored
Jake Knapp is bringing home some hardware. The Diamond Heels ace was named the ACC’s Pitcher of the Year Monday afternoon, becoming the first UNC pitcher to win the award since J.B. Bukauskas in 2017 and the fifth overall, the most in the conference. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 🏆 Jake Knapp is the ACC Pitcher of […]
›