The Diamond Heels had little trouble with visiting VCU and Longwood in midweek games at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday. Carolina cruised past both to extend its home winning streak to 11 games.

In Tuesday’s game against the Rams, starting pitcher Jason DeCaro retired the first 14 batters he faced and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. DeCaro, a freshman making just his second collegiate start, finished with only three hits and one run allowed through six innings. He struck out three batters and walked one.

“He was phenomenal,” said head coach Scott Forbes. “He’s going to be so much fun to watch here at UNC.”

The Carolina bats did plenty to support DeCaro, going up 8-0 by the time VCU finally scored. Four of those runs came in the first, as Anthony Donofrio cleared the bases with a three-run double before scoring on a throwing error. Jackson Van De Brake, Luke Stevenson, Casey Cook and Alberto Osuna each also drove in runs in the 8-2 win.

The bats were even hotter on Wednesday against Longwood, as Carolina went down 1-0 in the second and then scored eight unanswered runs in a 12-3 victory. Osuna continued to swing a hot bat with two solo home runs, giving him five on the season. He finished 3-4 at the plate and is batting .382 through nine games. Stevenson had another strong game, driving in three runs, reaching base three times and stealing a base. The freshman catcher is batting .333.

On the mound, five UNC pitchers combined to hold the Lancers in check. Matthew Matthijs earned the win with 2.2 innings of shutout relief and a pair of strikeouts.

Carolina is 7-2 on the season and in the middle of a five-game homestand, which continues this weekend. The Diamond Heels will host Princeton for a three-game series at Boshamer Stadium, which begins Friday at 4 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 newsletter.