The Diamond Heels got a critical three-game series with Duke off on the right foot Thursday night, defeating the Blue Devils 6-3 at Boshamer Stadium.

Duke took an early lead by scoring three runs in the first two innings, but would not make a dent in the scoreboard for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, the Carolina bats erased the 3-0 deficit in the blink of an eye. Colby Wilkerson tied the game on one swing in the bottom of the second, knocking a bases-loaded double down the left field line and scoring all three UNC runners.

The game stayed tied until the bottom of the fourth, when Mac Horvath did what Mac Horvath has been doing all season long: sending pitches over the fence. Horvath launched his twelfth home run into the Chapel Hill night and drove in three more Carolina runs in the process to give the Tar Heels the lead. Horvath’s 12 homers, 28 runs batted in and 1.244 OPS are all best on the team.

UNC truly scored in bunches: all six of their runs came on just two swings of the bat. Those two swings were more than enough for the Carolina pitching staff, as Max Carlson picked up his first win of the season despite not being his sharpest. The UNC ace went five innings while allowing four hits and the three Blue Devil runs. Kevin Eaise and Matt Poston combined to pitch the final four innings of scoreless relief.

Carolina is now 17-5 on the season and 3-2 in ACC play. The second game of the three-game series with the Blue Devils will begin Saturday at 6 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter

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