The Diamond Heels swept Notre Dame in a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend, and in the process set a program record with their 27th straight home win. Carolina’s 23 consecutive home wins to open the 2024 season is also a program record.

“I feel like we’ve always been good here,” said head coach Scott Forbes. “And I feel like the other teams feel like that. To me, I look at it as a positive. I don’t look at it as any pressure. I’m like, ‘Hey, the pressure’s on the other dugout, because they know how good we are at home. So use that to your advantage, and be proud of it.'”

Carolina ran roughshod in the first game, scoring in six of seven innings played to win via run rule, 13-0. Six of those runs came in the bottom of the sixth, with Luke Stevenson providing the capper with a three-run blast to right field. It was one of three home runs by the Tar Heels on the evening, as Parks Harber opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first and Casey Cook hit a two-run bomb in the third. Alex Madera, Anthony Donofrio and Vance Honeycutt also picked up RBIs in support of Carolina starter Jason DeCaro, who tossed six scoreless innings to earn his second win. It was UNC’s largest win in ACC play.

Carolina got another strong start on the mound in the second game on Saturday. Shea Sprague lasted 5.2 innings and gave up just two run while striking out four. It was enough for the Elon transfer to earn his second win of the season. The Tar Heel bats jumped out to a 3-0 lead, with Anthony Donofrio collecting a pair of RBIs on a solo shot in the first inning and a single in the fifth. Alberto Osuna also went yard in the second.

After the Fighting Irish cut the Carolina lead to 3-2 in the sixth, Madera came through with insurance in the bottom of the inning, knocking in two runs with a single. A Honeycutt home run in the seventh and Johnny Castagnozzi sacrifice fly in the eighth pushed the lead to 7-2, which was more than enough for the Tar Heel bullpen. Dalton Pence and Matthew Matthijs combined for 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to slam the door.

On Sunday, Carolina took the lead early on a two-run Vance Honeycutt home run in the bottom of the first. It was Honeycutt’s 49th home run in his collegiate career, which ties him for second on the program’s all-time leaderboard. The Tar heels added runs in the second and third before erupting for five in the fourth, taking advantage of a wild pitch and a dropped fly ball in the process.

On the mound, Aidan Haugh got his first start and twirled five scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing just three hits. It was more than enough for Haugh’s second win of the season.

 

“For some people, they might find [be] anxious or nervous, but really it’s just another day,” Haugh said. “I tried not to make too much of a deal out of it and just go out there and have fun.”

Kyle Percival, Cameron Padgett, Ben Peterson and Matt Poston combined to pitch the final four innings to secure the 10-3 win.

“Sweeps are hard to get,” said Forbes. “I’m happy where we are, but we obviously have to keep getting better in all areas. I felt like this weekend, we played well. If they made a mistake, we capitalized on it.”

The sweep – the team’s seventh of the year – improves Carolina to 29-7 overall and 14-4 in conference play this season. The Diamond Heels sit in first place in the Coastal Division standings and will be back in action at home on Tuesday against No. 20 Coastal Carolina.

 

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 newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Baseball Loses First 2 Games, Blows Out Miami in ACC Road Series Finale
The Diamond Heels rebounded from two tough losses at Miami over the weekend to blow out the Hurricanes in the series finale on Sunday. Carolina earned the victory via the 10-Run Rule, winning 18-6 after seven innings. Carolina lost via that same rule in the opener on Friday night, as the Hurricanes ran roughshod over […]
UNC Baseball Reveals 2024 Regular Season Schedule
The Diamond Heels revealed their 2024 regular-season schedule on Thursday morning. https://twitter.com/DiamondHeels/status/1732798236275216623 Carolina will open the season with a three-game series against Wagner at Boshamer Stadium in February. Opening Day is scheduled for February 16 at 4 p.m. Other notable non-conference matchups include a three-game series with East Carolina starting on February 23. The first […]
UNC Baseball Beats Bucknell in Chapel Hill; 8th Run-Rule Win This Season
The Diamond Heels scored eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on their way to a 13-3 win against visiting Bucknell at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday. Carolina won the game in seven innings via the 10-run rule, marking the teams eighth win by way of the run rule already this season. 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐮𝐛 […]
UNC Baseball Drops ACC Opener vs. Virginia in Blowout Fashion
The Diamond Heels were on the wrong end of the 10-run rule Friday, as visiting Virginia dominated UNC 13-3 in a game ended after seven innings. The Cavalier bats jumped all over UNC starting pitcher Jason DeCaro, bashing six hits and scoring five runs in just three innings. Only two of those Virginia runs were […]
UNC Baseball Beats Elon at Boshamer Stadium; ACC Play Next
It took all nine innings this time, but the Diamond Heels were still able to comfortably beat Elon 5-1 at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday afternoon. Light work of the fire birds 🔥#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/HVWEAqyNhK — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) March 3, 2026 Carolina’s offense was nowhere near its historic level showcased in its weekend sweep of […]
UNC Baseball Rides Hot Bats to Home Sweep vs. Le Moyne
The Diamond Heels scored a combined 49 runs across a three-game sweep of Le Moyne at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend. All three games were ended early via the 10-run rule. Friday’s opening game saw Carolina score five runs in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk and a bases clearing […]
UNC Baseball Wins Midweek Matchups vs. North Carolina A&T, VCU
The Diamond Heels had no trouble in a pair of midweek games against North Carolina A&T and VCU. Carolina outscored the opposition 22-4 on its way to wins in both matchups at Boshamer Stadium. Tuesday against the Aggies, George Mason transfer Owen Hull had the best game of his young UNC career with three hits […]
UNC Baseball Drops Second Game of East Carolina Series; Final Game Declared a Tie
The 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 Opener
Jason 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 Test
One of the most unique series on the college baseball calendar gets underway tonight as UNC and ECU open their three-ballpark series.
›