A grand slam from Johnny Castagnozzi capped off a six-run top of the ninth inning for the Diamond Heels Friday at Notre Dame. The rally flipped a four-run deficit into a two-run lead for Carolina, and that lead held up for a thrilling 10-8 victory in the first of a three-game series with the Fighting Irish.

The Tar Heels found themselves in need of some late-inning magic despite holding a 4-0 lead after the top of the second. RBIs from Tomas Frick, Castagnozzi, Colby Wilkerson and Mac Horvath had gotten Carolina on the board first, but the Irish tagged starter Max Carlson for seven runs in response. Another run in the bottom of the eighth made it 8-4 Notre Dame, and it looked like UNC was headed for its second consecutive loss.

But Carolina went to work immediately in the ninth, as Wilkerson led off with a solo shot to cut the lead to 8-5. Consecutive hits from Vance Honeycutt and Horvath then gave way to a single from Jackson Van De Brake, which scored Honeycutt and cut the deficit down to 8-6. Frick was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Castagnozzi.

On a 3-2 pitch, Castagnozzi launched the ball well over the left field fence and gave Carolina its first lead since the second inning. The entire rally came before the Fighting Irish recorded an out.

Kevin Eaise was tasked with earning his second save of the season in the bottom of the ninth, and he set the Irish down in order to seal the victory. Nelson Berkwich, who pitched to one batter in the bottom of the eighth, earned the win to move to 2-1 on the season.

Carolina is now 19-7 overall and 5-3 in ACC play. The Tar Heels and Fighting Irish were able to squeeze Friday’s game in despite spotty forecasts for the South Bend area, and more poor weather is predicted for Saturday. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. UNC has already had one weekend series this season cut to just a single game due to weather.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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
‹
'Region of Death for Everybody Else': UNC Baseball Fired Up After Regional Sweep
The Diamond Heels were not impressed with the prognostications of a difficult regional weekend in Chapel Hill.
UNC Baseball Defeats East Carolina Again, Advances to Super Regionals
The Diamond Heels scored eight runs in the first three innings and got four innings of no-hit relief from Jackson Rose in a 9-3 win against East Carolina Sunday at Boshamer Stadium. UNC has now advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for a third consecutive season. 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘'𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃 🥳 For the third straight […]
UNC Baseball in the 2026 NCAA Regionals: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Start Times
The Diamond Heels will host a regional at Boshamer Stadium for the third consecutive year this weekend. UNC is the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and is looking to return to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha for the second time in three years. If you aren’t attending this weekend’s games […]
UNC Baseball Outlasts East Carolina, Moves to 2-0 in Chapel Hill Regional
A three-run home run from Colin Hynek and clutch pitching from Caden Glauber and Walker McDuffie helped the Diamond Heels beat East Carolina 7-5 at Boshamer Stadium Saturday in the NCAA Regionals. 𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 😤 The Heels are on to the regional final!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/nS6uxHA7CB — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 31, 2026 “What […]
UNC Baseball Pulls Away Late, Beats VCU in NCAA Tournament Opener
The Diamond Heels scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to blow open Friday night’s NCAA Tournament opener against VCU and win 8-0 at Boshamer Stadium. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 😤#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/WCeNlIxO6L — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 30, 2026 “Credit to our guys,” head coach Scott Forbes said afterward. […]
'Accepting Those Extra Butterflies': UNC Baseball Previews Challenging NCAA Regional
Members of the Diamond Heels met with the media Thursday at Boshamer Stadium to preview the Chapel Hill Regional of the NCAA Tournament, which begins Friday. UNC is the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament field and is hosting VCU, East Carolina and Tennessee this weekend. Carolina will face VCU Friday at 5 p.m., […]
Breaking Down UNC Baseball's 2026 NCAA Regional Opponents
The Diamond Heels are hosting an NCAA Tournament regional at Boshamer Stadium for the third consecutive season. UNC has reached at least the Super Regional round in each of the last two years, but that will be a difficult task in what projects to be a challenging weekend of baseball in Chapel Hill. Here’s a […]
UNC Baseball Falls to Georgia Tech in ACC Championship Game
No. 1 seed Georgia Tech scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish in the ACC Championship Game Sunday in Charlotte, beating the Diamond Heels 13-6. Carolina scored first and held a 1-0 lead entering the second inning thanks to an Owen Hull RBI single, but […]
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2026 ACC Baseball Tournament
The 2026 ACC Baseball Tournament will take place this week at Truist Field in Charlotte. UNC is the defending champion in the tournament and will compete as the No. 2 seed in the field. The 2026 season is the second consecutive year the ACC will be using a basic single-elimination format for the tournament, as […]
UNC Baseball Throttles Pitt to Advance to ACC Tournament Championship
The Diamond Heels banged out 22 total hits and hit a season-high six home runs in a 13-5 win against Pitt in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Saturday afternoon. UNC, the No. 2 seed in the field, will face No. 1 seed Georgia Tech in the championship game Sunday. 𝗛𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 💥 […]
›