The Diamond Heels earned their third walk-off win in just over a week Saturday afternoon, as Johnny Castagnozzi belted a home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Carolina a snowy, come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh at Boshamer Stadium.

Pittsburgh took advantage of some messy defense by UNC to take the lead midway through the game. After the Panthers’ Ron Washington, Jr. doubled to lead off the top of the fourth, he advanced to third base on a wild pitch by starter Max Carlson. Washington eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.

Things got even uglier the next inning, as Pitt’s Johnny Long reached on an error by Castagnozzi, helping the Panthers put men on second and third with one out. After Shawn Rapp replaced Davis Palermo on the mound, Washington reached on another error from Castagnozzi, one which allowed both runners to score and Pitt to extend its lead to 3-0.

But the bats picked up Castagnozzi in the sixth, as Mac Horvath stepped to the plate with two men on and tied it with one swing of the bat. Horvath sent a towering fly ball to left field, which rode a strong gust of wind all the way into the Boshamer Stadium scoreboard to even the score at 3-3. It was Horvath’s second home run of the year, and moved him into a tie for second on the team with 11 RBI.

Gage Gillian took the mound the following inning, and held Pittsburgh scoreless in the seventh and eighth. He got one out in the ninth before allowing a single, and head coach Scott Forbes then went to the lefty Caden O’Brien to face Pitt’s left-handed hitting Tatem Levins. Levins fouled out, and Forbes continued to play matchups by calling in righty Shaddon Peavyhouse for the right-handed Washington. The move worked again, as Peavyhouse struck out Washington on four pitches.

All this set the stage for Castagnozzi, who atoned for his errors in the sixth by sending an opposite-field shot through the wind and over the right-field fence to set off another celebration at Boshamer Stadium. Castagnozzi continues to bat a team-leading .420, and now has three home runs to his name in 2022.

Carolina is now 13-2 on the season (2-0 in ACC play) and remains undefeated at home. Weather permitting, the team will play one more game with Pittsburgh on Sunday at 1 p.m. Two more mid-week home games will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday, before the team’s first full road series of the season at Duke the next weekend.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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