With the NCAA Basketball Tournaments wrapping up last week, we’re now fully into the spring sports season in college. One of the biggest spring sports is baseball, and as that season rolls along, the Tar Heels are in the midst of another very good season on the diamond. That included this past weekend, where they took a series over a solid Clemson team.
Friday: Clemson 9, UNC 5 (box score)
Despite eventually coming away victorious, the series started on a down note, as Clemson took the opener.
The teams
traded runs in the third inning, only for the Tigers to break things open in the fifth. Led by two RBI from Jackson Moore, Clemson put up five runs in the fifth, knocking UNC starter Jason Decaro out in the process.
While an Owen Hull RBI single helped the Tar Heels chip away at the deficit, Clemson tacked on another four runs across the sixth and seventh innings. Moore ended up recording four RBI on the day and the Tigers ended up taking the series opener.
Saturday: UNC 6, Clemson 4 – 14 innings (box score)
Carolina fought back to take Saturday’s game, but it took a late rally and then a marathon extra innings session before they finally came away with the win.
UNC took 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the second and fourth innings respectively, but Clemson came back both times, and took the lead on the second occasion. After the Tigers picked up a run in the seventh inning, they held a 4-2 lead going into the top of the eighth.
Cooper Nicholson got one run back for UNC in the eighth with an RBI double, but the Tar Heels stranded him on base. Then, in the ninth, with Carolina down to their last three outs, Jake Schaffner led off the inning with a double. After a sacrifice fly moved him to third, he scored on an Erik Paulsen fielder’s choice, tying things up.
The game then went all the way to the 14th inning, when UNC took the lead on a wild play. With runners on, including Jaydn Nunez on third, Tyler Howe laid down a bunt. Clemson pitcher Dylan Harrison tried to go home to get Nunez, but at errant throw led to both Nunez and Hull scoring to give the Heels the lead.
Caden Glauber then sealed the game with a scoreless bottom of the 14th. Glauber was very impressive in general, as he threw six innings out of the bullpen for the day, not allowing a run, which led to Carolina coming back and eventually winning.
Sunday: UNC 12, Clemson 5 (box score)
Sunday’s series finale didn’t have quite as much drama, as the Tar Heels jumped ahead early and kept their foot on the acceleration to take the series.
Gavin Gallaher got UNC started on a good note by hitting a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Clemson then got a run back in the second, but the Heels then began to pull away. In the fifth, Carolina put up five runs, with Macon Winslow and Hull — with a three-run homer — driving runs home in the frame. Those two then plated a couple more runs as Carolina added two more runs in the sixth.
While Clemson would get a couple runs off Folger Boaz and the rest of the UNC pitching staff, Carolina’s offense kept adding on as well, eventually winning the game by a fairly comfortable margin.
The Tar Heels will have the entirety of their schedule at home this coming week, as they’re hosting UNC Wilmington in a midweek game before #2 Georgia Tech comes to town for next weekend’s top-three matchup.
