Grand Slam Dooms UNC Baseball vs. USC in Game 1 of Super Regional

USC scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning – including four on a grand slam – to flip Friday’s NCAA Super Regional Game 1 and beat the Diamond Heels 9-5 in Chapel Hill.

“That was a tough one,” said head coach Scott Forbes afterward. “You want to try to grab that first one. Credit to Southern Cal, they have a really good team.”

UNC had led 5-1 entering the sixth inning, but starter Ryan Lynch allowed three consecutive singles before recording two outs. With the score 5-2, head coach Scott Forbes called on Walker McDuffie out of the bullpen. The normally reliable McDuffie proceeded to walk his first hitter to load the bases, then give up the decisive grand slam to the Trojans’ Dean Carpentier. Entering the game, Carpentier had only homered three times all season, and McDuffie had only allowed two.

Forbes expressed support for McDuffie, who was charged with the loss and allowed four earned runs — two of which came in a three-run seventh inning which extended USC’s lead to 9-5.

“Walker McDuffie’s been outstanding for us,” Forbes said. “I’ll put that dude right back out there tomorrow. It just happens. The game can flip. That’s the beauty of baseball.”

Carolina had maintained control of the game until the disastrous sixth, knocking out USC ace Mason Edwards after just three innings and leading 4-1. That lead increased to 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double from Colin Hynek.

“I’ve gotta give all the credit to the coaches,” said Erik Paulsen, who finished with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. “They do their hard work. They dive into it. We just need to trust them and buy into the approach.”

But UNC’s offense, which had been productive over the game’s first half, went silent after the Trojans took the lead. Carolina went down in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings as the USC bullpen sealed the win.

The loss spoiled another strong effort from Lynch, who logged 5.2 innings and struck out seven Trojan batters, his most since April 24.

The Diamond Heels will play for their season Saturday at 2 p.m. UNC will need to win Games 2 and 3 of the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series in Omaha next weekend.

“The beauty of a Super Regional is that it is a three-game series,” Forbes said. “And we’re trying to win the three-game series, and this ain’t the first time we’ve lost the first game.”

UNC is 2-1 in three-game series this season when losing the first game. However, the Diamond Heels have never won an NCAA Super Regional after dropping the first game, losing in 2003, 2019 and 2022.

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Ainsley E. Fauth

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Grand Slam Dooms UNC Baseball vs. USC in Game 1 of Super Regional

USC scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning – including four on a grand slam – to flip Friday’s NCAA Super Regional Game 1 and beat the Diamond Heels 9-5 in Chapel Hill. “That was a tough one,” said head coach Scott Forbes afterward. “You want to try to grab that first […]

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