UNC Baseball Stays Hot With Series Opening Win at NC State

The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning on their way to a 9-4 win at NC State in Raleigh Thursday night.

The big inning came after UNC had already taken a 1-0 lead thanks to a Jake Schaffner RBI groundout in the third. Tyler Howe doubled that advantage with a leadoff home run in the fifth, but it was only the beginning of the fun for Carolina. Colin Hynek was hit by a pitch in the next at bat, then advanced to third base after a throwing error on a Carter French bunt. Hynek scored on a Schaffner fielder’s choice before Owen Hull delivered another big hit, launching a two-run missile over the left field wall. It was Hull’s second consecutive game with a home run.

UNC wasn’t done in the fifth. After Gavin Gallaher walked and advanced to second on a single, he came around to score on a Cooper Nicholson base hit for Carolina’s fifth run of the inning. UNC led 6-0.

All four of the Wolfpack’s runs came in the sixth inning. Starting pitcher Jason DeCaro was pulled after allowing the first two batters to reach, but NC State’s Sherman Johnson greeted Caden Glauber with a three-run blast on the fourth pitch of the at-bat to cut the lead in half. The Wolfpack would score one more time before the inning was over and trailed 6-4 entering the seventh.

UNC restored breathing room after taking advantage of sloppy NC State defense in the eighth, as Nicholson scored on a Wolfpack error to push the advantage to 7-4. Two more runs came home in the ninth on a ground rule double from Gallaher and a single from Winslow. That was more than enough insurance for Walker McDuffie, who capped off a six-out save with a scoreless ninth inning.

Thursday’s win is UNC’s sixth in a row and improves the team to 42-9-1 overall and 21-7 in ACC play. The Diamond Heels’ 13 wins in true road games this season are also their most ever in head coach Scott Forbes’ six seasons in charge. Carolina will be back in action in the second game of the NC State series Friday at 7 p.m.

Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Chance Bragg

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