Despite leaving 19 men on base — yes, 19 — the Diamond Heels defeated Charlotte for the second time this season, 5-3 at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday night.
The crooked left-on-base number is the result of UNC leaving the bags loaded in five of the eight innings it came to bat, including each of the first three. Carolina left at least one man on in every inning.
The Tar Heels finally broke through in the third, using a Johnny Castagnozzi RBI single and a Colby Wilkerson hit-by-pitch (you guessed it, with the bases loaded) to tie the game after the 49ers scored two runs in the first. Tomas Frick put UNC ahead for good with a single in the sixth, and Mac Horvath provided insurance with his team-high 14th home run of the season in the seventh.
Four Tar Heel pitchers contributed to the victory, with Cameron Padgett starting and logging 4.1 innings while allowing the pair of Charlotte runs. Dalton Pence earned the win with 2.2 one-hit innings, and Matt Poston and Kevin Eaise each pitched an inning to finish off the evening. Eaise, now the de facto closer for the Tar Heels, earned his fifth save of the season with a perfect top of the ninth.
The win improves Carolina to 25-12 overall and 19-8 in Chapel Hill this season. UNC will host another important ACC series at Boshamer Stadium this weekend against No. 20 Boston College, with the first game scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Drops Second Game of East Carolina Series; Final Game Declared a TieThe Diamond Heels fell in the second game of this weekend’s three-game series against East Carolina and ended Sunday’s rubber match after five innings due to weather conditions. As the score was tied 3-3 at the time of the stoppage, the game will officially go down as a tie. Saturday’s game at Durham Bulls Athletic […]
DeCaro Dazzles as UNC Baseball Beats East Carolina in Series OpenerJason DeCaro threw a complete-game shutout and the UNC lineup banged out 12 hits as the Diamond Heels rolled past East Carolina 10-0 in Greenville Friday night. The game was ended after eight innings via the run rule. Sprinkled in a 𝘿𝙐𝘽 💪#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/1a6yCgvcLv — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 21, 2026 Carolina provided […]
Chansky's Notebook: An Early TestOne of the most unique series on the college baseball calendar gets underway tonight as UNC and ECU open their three-ballpark series.
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Games vs. Richmond, LongwoodThe Diamond Heels hosted games against Richmond and Longwood at Boshamer Stadium this week and won both to move to 5-0 this season.
Walk-Off Home Run Helps UNC Baseball Sweep Opening Series vs. IndianaThe Diamond Heels swept a Saturday doubleheader against Indiana at Boshamer Stadium Saturday, and in the process swept the three-game opening series against the Hoosiers. Carolina ended the first game early via the 10-run rule, scoring three runs in the fifth, six in the sixth and two in the seventh to earn a 12-2 win. […]
Big Inning Helps UNC Baseball Beat Indiana in 2026 Season OpenerThe Diamond Heels scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on their way to a 9-4 win against Indiana in the season opener at Boshamer Stadium Friday. WON and oh! #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/U4BRtzk7db — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) February 14, 2026 UNC’s big inning broke open what had been a close game, […]
'Our Guys Are Ready': UNC Baseball Expresses Excitement Ahead of 2026 SeasonAfter one of the most gut-wrenching losses of his life, Scott Forbes had to turn his frown upside down. Because just one day removed from the end of the Diamond Heels’ 2025 season, Forbes’ program was hosting a key transfer portal target. Welcome to the new world of college athletics. “We lose to Arizona on […]
UNC Baseball Announces $9 Million Gift from Anonymous DonorThe UNC baseball program has announced a $9 million gift from an anonymous donor made through The Rams Club. The gift will go toward the program’s operating endowment, and the donor will match gifts from other fans and supporters to grow the endowment to $25 million. “We are incredibly humbled and grateful for this incredible […]
UNC Baseball Ranked No. 11 in 2026 D1Baseball Preseason PollThe Diamond Heels are ranked No. 11 in D1Baseball.com’s 2026 preseason poll, which was released Monday morning. UNC joins a loaded list of teams in the Top 25, including reigning national champions LSU at No. 2 and national runners-up Coastal Carolina at No. 6. 2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 📈 Who’s too high? Who's too […]
UNC Baseball to be Featured in 'MLB The Show 26' Video GameThe Diamond Heels are in the game. UNC is one of 11 college baseball programs who will be added to the video game “MLB The Show 26” as part of its “Road to the Show” mode. In MLB The Show 26, Road To The Show adds 11 new colleges. @DiamondHeels Here’s your sneak peak at […]
›
