The Diamond Heels rebounded from a series-opening loss Thursday night and a 7-3 deficit in the rubber match Saturday to take two of three games from No. 22 Boston College at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend.
Thursday’s opener saw Carolina go in front with a run in the second inning against Eagles ace A.J. Colarusso, but BC responded with runs in the third and fourth to take the lead for good. Colarusso and the rest of the Boston College staff would work around multiple runners on base in the ensuing innings, and the Eagle bats added insurance runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings to secure the 6-1 win. UNC left a total of 11 runners on base.
Carolina jumped in front once again in Friday’s second game, but this time would not give up its early lead. A Gavin Gallaher home run in the first and a Jake Schaffner triple in the second staked UNC to a 3-0 edge in support of starter Jason DeCaro, whose normal spot in the rotation was pushed back due to an illness. But DeCaro struggled with his command, walking four Eagles in just 2.2 innings before being lifted in favor of freshman Caden Glauber. Glauber gave UNC exactly what it needed in the middle innings, recording 16 outs and allowing just one run on two hits.
In the meantime, UNC maintained its three-run cushion thanks to RBIs from Macon Winslow in the fifth and Colin Hynek in the seventh, which kept the Diamond Heels in front 5-2 entering the final innings. Walker McDuffie pitched for the second straight day in relief of Glauber, and he earned the save with a scoreless ninth to even the series at a game apiece.
Saturday’s rubber match proved to be a thriller. Carolina led 3-1 after four innings thanks to RBIs from Gavin Gallaher and Macon Winslow in the third, but Boston College flipped the script with six runs in the fifth — all of which came with two outs. After starting pitcher Folger Boaz was lifted with Eagles on second and third, a walk and a double against reliever Camron Seagraves brought three runs home to give Boston College the lead. Three more runs would score on a double, another walk, a single and a wild pitch. The Eagles led 7-3 after five innings.
UNC cut the deficit in half with two runs in the sixth on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly, setting the stage for a go-ahead rally in the seventh. Schaffner and Gallaher drew back-to-back walks to begin the inning, and free pass to Winslow loaded the bases with one out. Schaffner would then come home on a wild pitch which advanced every runner, and Owen Hull singled to bring home the go-ahead runs. Carolina led 8-7 entering the eighth.
Scott Forbes rolled the dice in the eighth, bringing McDuffie out of the bullpen for a third consecutive day after a leadoff walk. The gamble paid off, as McDuffie stranded the runner on second base and then worked around a two-out single in the ninth to slam the door on the 8-7 UNC win and the series.
UNC has now won four consecutive series in ACC play, with the Boston College series being the first Carolina has won after dropping the opening game. The Diamond Heels are now 27-5-1 overall and 11-4 in conference play and will be back in action when they host Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday night at 7 p.m. UNC’s next ACC action sees it visit Clemson for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter
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