Late-Inning Rally Sends UNC Baseball to ACC Championship Game

Another day, another ranked opponent felled by the red-hot Diamond Heels. This time, Carolina took down No. 16 Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte Saturday afternoon, punching a ticket to the conference championship game for the 13th time in program history. It comes less than 24 hours after UNC earned a 10-0 win over No. 2 Virginia Tech in the pool play finale for both teams.

One game away from a title.#GoHeels x @WellsFargo x #FreakinAwesome pic.twitter.com/fTDQcmNiaR

— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) May 28, 2022

There were no early-inning fireworks as in Friday’s blowout against the Hokies, as each team relied on a host of pitchers to send the game into the seventh inning tied at 2-2. Will Sandy got the start for Carolina, but only lasted 2.1 innings after walking three Irish batters. He was pulled after giving up a solo home run to Notre Dame’s Jack Brannigan in the third inning.

The Irish pulled ahead in the fifth on another solo shot, but Carolina wasted no time tying the game again in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff single from Mikey Madej, who finished the game 4-4 and was also hit by a pitch, Hunter Stokely drove in the speedy outfielder with a double down the left field line which took a tricky bounce away from the Irish defense.

The breakthrough came in the top of the eighth, as Carolina loaded the bases with no outs on a single, a Notre Dame error and a walk. It looked as if the Tar Heels might squander the golden opportunity and leave more runners on base (they ended the game with 12), as pinch hitter Johnny Castagnozzi and Angel Zarate both struck out. But Mac Horvath finally got the hit head coach Scott Forbes was looking for, singling to score Madej from third and giving Carolina the lead. Danny Serretti followed that up with a two-RBI double, making Saturday his 29th game in the last 30 with at least one hit.

Two more Tar Heel runs scored in the top of the ninth off the bat of Castagnozzi, who scored Madej and Reece Holbrook with a single and atoned for his eighth-inning strikeout. Davis Palermo finished off the Irish in the bottom of the ninth, getting the final three of a six-out save, his fifth of the season. Shawn Rapp, one of four Carolina pitchers to relieve Sandy, was credited with his fourth win.

The win is not only UNC’s 14th in its last 16 games, but it also snaps a seven-game losing streak to Notre Dame. The Tar Heels will now have a chance to win the program’s second ACC title in the last four years on Sunday, when they will take on the winner of Pittsburgh and NC State at noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Featured image via Atlantic Coast Conference

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Late-Inning Rally Sends UNC Baseball to ACC Championship Game

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