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
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