Visiting Stanford scored six runs in the top of the fifth inning on its way to a 13-9 win against the Diamond Heels Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium, ending UNC’s unbeaten run to start the season at 13 games.

UNC took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but quickly found itself unable to cool off the Cardinal bats. Stanford scored two runs in the second and one in the third to tie the game at 3-3, then added three more runs in the fourth to take a 6-3 lead. All six runs came against UNC ace Jason DeCaro, who took his first loss of the season in just 4.1 innings pitched.

A bases-loaded walk and a Gavin Gallaher single tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the fourth, but Stanford broke the contest open with two home runs in the fifth, including a grand slam which gave the Cardinal a 12-6 lead. All four runs were unearned after an error against pitcher Ryan Lynch earlier in the frame. UNC wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the ninth.

The loss drops the Diamond Heels to 13-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. Their 13-0 start to the season had been the program’s best since 2013, when UNC began 16-0 on its way to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha. Carolina will be back in action in the second game of this weekend’s series against the Cardinal, with first pitch scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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