While the Diamond Heels were on the winning side of a blowout Saturday, those roles were reversed Sunday at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina fell behind early to visiting Wake Forest and never recovered, trailing 10-1 after three innings and eventually losing 11-2.

The Demon Deacons jumped on Carolina starter Connor Bovair in the top of the first, hitting back-to-back home runs with two outs to take a 3-0 lead. Angel Zarate got one of those runs back with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning, but Wake’s offense was relentless in building upon its lead. Head coach Scott Forbes pulled Bovair in the second after he gave up a leadoff single, but reliever Shawn Rapp wasn’t able to stop the bleeding, giving up two more runs on an RBI double.

The third inning saw the Demon Deacons effectively deliver the kill shot, as an RBI single and then a grand slam extended the lead to 10-1.

“Wake Forest is one of the best offensive teams in our league and that showed today,” said Forbes. “You make mistakes against a good offensive team that’s what happens. You hate to lose, but a loss is a loss is the way I look at it. You flush it, you move on and get ready for a great week.”

Despite the tough result, Carolina won the weekend series by virtue of its wins on Friday and Saturday. In the midst of an up-and-down year, UNC can still take pride in series wins against in-state opponents ECU, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest. The Tar Heels have won eight of their last 10 games, and now sit at 31-19 with one series left in the regular season (UNC’s scheduled game on Tuesday at UNC-Wilmington was cancelled). That series is potentially a make-or-break one for Carolina’s postseason hopes, as No. 20 Florida State visits Boshamer Stadium.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Helen McGinnis

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