By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — When a starter’s outing doesn’t go well, No. 11 North Carolina’s bullpen usually offers relief.
That was the case Saturday when the Tar Heels got their best bullpen performance in an ACC game in nearly a month. They clinched the weekend series with a 6–4 victory over Louisville on a beautiful spring day at Boshamer Stadium for their fifth consecutive win.
Four relievers combined for five shutout innings as UNC (38–11, 19–7 ACC) finished the regular season 7–0 in home series, including 5–0 against league opponents. The Tar Heels (31–2 at home) have the most ACC wins since the 2018 team went 22–8 in the league, finished 44–20 overall and made the College World Series.
Right fielder Anthony Donofrio went 3 for 4 with two RBI and left fielder Casey Cook hit a home run to pace the 11-hit attack for Carolina, which has clinched no worse than a tie for the ACC Coastal Division title and has a two-game lead over Clemson for best league record.
UNC coach Scott Forbes has recently switched up bullpen roles, with Matt Poston (winner, 3–2) coming on earlier in games and Dalton Pence taking the closer role. Both did their jobs well Saturday.
“We feel like with Poston and Pence, those have been our horses all year,” Forbes said. “But now we’ve started Poston in a little bit different role because he recovers a little bit better and we want to try to have Dalton out there if at all possible at the end.”
Pence, who gave up two hits while striking out three over the last two innings,t pitched out of trouble in the ninth inning after giving up a double and hitting a batter.
“I just didn’t feel like I had my mechanics fine-tuned that last inning as I did in the eighth,” Pence said. “Just trying to work through that and felt better as the inning went on.”
Pence struck out Alex Alicea for the second out before picking up his team-high sixth save when J.T. Benson flew out to deep left field, representing the potential go-ahead run.
“A little worried when it got off the bat,” Pence said of the last out. “But I saw [left fielder] Casey [Cook] camp under it and had a little bit of relief.”
Senior right-hander Ben Peterson was the bridge between Poston and Pence. Poston pitched 2⅔ shutout innings with two strikeouts before coming out after giving up an Alex Alecia single with two outs in the seventh inning. Peterson elicited a flyout to get out of the innings.
“I thought Poston was outstanding,” Forbes said. “Peterson, who now is a big addition to our bullpen, came in and got a big out and Dalton finished it.”
(Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth)
It was the best relief performance in an ACC game since UNC got 3⅓ shutout innings of relief against Notre Dame on April 13.
“I feel like everybody’s finally getting on the right track and kind of getting their routine fine-tuned, and that helped us out,” Poston said.
The Tar Heels showed they can win different ways, hitting only one homer Saturday after swatting seven in Friday’s victory.
Donofrio, hitting .307 with 40 RBI, became the fifth UNC player hitting at least .300 with at least 40 RBI, joining Cook (batting .340 with 63 RBI), Vance Honeycutt (.333, 55), Parks Harber (.374, 53) and Alberto Osuna (.306, 49).
Just like Jason DeCaro on Friday, junior left-hander Shea Sprague was making his first start in 14 days because of the final exams break.
“I thought both teams played well,” Forbes said. “I felt like neither Sprague nor DeCaro had their A+ stuff. A little bit rusty from not pitching last weekend, but both competed.”
Sprague gave up five hits, four runs and two walks while striking out three in 4+ innings, coming out after issuing a leadoff walk in the fifth.
Donofrio’s drive off the glove of Louisville first baseman Ryan McCoy in the first inning drove in Honeycutt, who led off with a single up the middle. Louisville (29–21, 13–13) quickly tied it in the second when catcher Luke Napleton singled, took second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on center fielder Eddie King Jr.’s single to left.
Cook belted the first pitch he saw in the third inning just to the left of the right-field foul pole 414 feet for a home run, and Alex Madera’s groundout scored another run. But Napleton’s three-run homer in the fourth inning gave Louisville a 4–3 lead.
UNC retook the lead, 5–4, in the bottom of the fourth on Harber’s bases-loaded walk and Donofrio’s groundout.
The Tar Heels added a run on Honeycutt’s sacrifice fly in the seventh. They could have had more, but Louisville right fielder Isaac Humphrey made a spectacular play at the wall for the third out with the bases loaded.
NOTES — UNC goes for the series sweep at noon Sunday (ACC Network), with UNC junior right-hander Aidan Haugh (3–1, 3.29 ERA) opposing Cardinals freshman left-hander Colton Hartman (0-1, 5.09 ERA). … Honeycutt was caught stealing in the sixth inning for only the third time in 29 attempts when he overslid the second-base bag. … UNC, which is 31–2 at home and has won 35 of its last 37 home games, leads the all-time series with Louisville 11–7, including 8–2 in Chapel Hill.
No. 11 UNC 6, Louisville 4
ACC standings
| Coastal Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| XY — No. 7 North Carolina | 22–8 | 41–12 |
| No. 16 Virginia | 18–12 | 40–14 |
| No. 17 Duke | 16–14 | 35–18 |
| Georgia Tech | 15–15 | 31–21 |
| Virginia Tech | 14–16 | 32–20 |
| Miami | 11–19 | 25–29 |
| Pittsburgh | 10–20 | 26–27 |
| Atlantic Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| X — No. 3 Clemson | 20–10 | 40–13 |
| No. 12 N.C. State | 18–11 | 32–19 |
| No. 10 Florida State | 17–12 | 39–14 |
| Louisville | 16–14 | 32–22 |
| No. 22 Wake Forest | 15–15 | 36–19 |
| Notre Dame | 9–21 | 27–25 |
| Boston College | 8–22 | 22–31 |
Thursday’s results
No. 17 Duke 5, No. 7 North Carolina 3
Louisville 5-5, Notre Dame 3-1
No. 16 Virginia 7, Virginia Tech 3
No. 3 Clemson 12, Boston College 10
No. 10 Florida State 8, Georgia Tech 3
Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3
No. 12 N.C. State 14, No. 8 Wake Forest 3
Friday’s results
No. 7 North Carolina 6, No. 17 Duke 4
No. 16 Virginia 13, Virginia Tech 3, 7 innings (10-run rule)
No. 3 Clemson 11, Boston College 6
No. 10 Florida State 11, Georgia Tech 3
Louisville 14, Notre Dame 6
No. 12 N.C. State 2, No. 8 Wake Forest 1
Pittsburgh 5, Miami 3
Saturday’s results
No. 7 North Carolina 14, No. 17 Duke 6
No. 3 Clemson 10, Boston College 0, 8 innings (10-run rule)
Pittsburgh 10, Miami 7
No. 12 N.C. State 9, No. 8 Wake Forest 6
Georgia Tech 11, No. 10 Florida State 10
No. 16 Virginia 10, Virginia Tech 9, 13 innings
END OF REGULAR SEASON
| Date | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 16 | Friday | W, 10–3 | vs. Wagner | 1–0 |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 16–5 | vs. Wagner | 2–0 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 20–6 | vs. Wagner | 3–0 |
| 20 | Tuesday | W, 8–7 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| 23 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 14 East Carolina | 5–0 |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 7–4 | vs. No. 14 East Carolina in Fayetteville | 5–1 |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 10–9 | at No. 14 East Carolina | 5–2 |
| 27 | Tuesday | W, 8–2 | vs. VCU | 6–2 |
| 28 | Wednesday | W, 12–3 | vs. Longwood | 7–2 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 12–2 | vs. Princeton | 8–2 |
| 2 | Saturday | W, 11–2 | vs. Princeton | 9–2 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–6 | vs. Princeton | 10–2 |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 7–3 | at Campbell | 11–2 |
| 8 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. Pittsburgh | 12–2, 1–0 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 13–2, 2–0 ACC |
| 10 | Sunday | W, 6–5, 10 innings | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–2, 3–0 ACC |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | vs. Rutgers | 15–2 |
| 13 | Wednesday | W, 9–8 | vs. Rutgers | 16–2 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 14–1 | at Miami | 16–3, 3–1 ACC |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 2–1 | at Miami | 16–4, 3–2 ACC |
| 17 | Sunday | W, 18–6, 7 innings (10-run rule) | at Miami | 17–4, 4–2 ACC |
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 11–0, 7 innings (10-run rule) | vs. UNCW | 18–4 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 5–4 | vs. Georgia Tech | 19–4, 5–2 ACC |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 11–5 | vs. Georgia Tech | 20–4, 6–2 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 9–2 | vs. Georgia Tech | 21–4, 7–2 ACC |
| 26 | Tuesday | W, 10–8 | vs. N.C. A&T | 22–4 |
| 29 | Friday | W, 6–5 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 23–4, 8–2 ACC |
| 30 | Saturday | W, 10–6 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 24–4, 9–2 ACC |
| 31 | Sunday | W, 14–10 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 25–4, 10–2 ACC |
| April | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | L, 14–11 | at No. 18 Virginia | 25–5, 10–3 ACC |
| 5 | Friday | L, 7–2 | at No. 18 Virginia | 25–6, 10–4 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 12–7 | at No. 18 Virginia | 26–6, 11–4 ACC |
| 9 | Tuesday | L, 2–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 26–7 |
| 12 | Friday | W, 13–0, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. Notre Dame | 27–7, 12–4 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 7–2 | vs. Notre Dame | 28–7, 13–4 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 10–3 | vs. Notre Dame | 29–7, 14–4 ACC |
| 16 | Tuesday | L, 5–4 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 29–8 |
| 18 | Thursday | L, 9–8 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 29–9, 14–5 ACC |
| 19 | Friday | L, 5–4 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 29–10, 14–6 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 14–3 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 30–10, 15–6 ACC |
| 23 | Tuesday | W, 5–2 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 31–10 |
| 26 | Friday | W, 8–1 | vs. Virginia Tech | 32–10, 16–6 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | W, 6–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–10, 17–6 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 4–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–11, 17–7 ACC |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 13–1, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. Charlotte | 34–11 |
| May | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | W, 19–2, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. William & Mary | 35–11 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 16–10 | vs. Campbell | 36–11 |
| 10 | Friday | W, 13–4 8 innings (10-run rule) | vs. Louisville | 37–11, 18–7 ACC |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 6–4 | vs. Louisville | 38–11, 19–7 ACC |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 16–7 | vs. Louisville | 39–11, 20–7 ACC |
| 16 | Thursday | L, 5–3 | at No. 12 Duke | 39–12, 20–8 ACC |
| 17 | Friday | W, 6–4 | at No. 12 Duke | 40–12, 21–8 ACC |
| 18 | Saturday | W, 14–6 | at No. 12 Duke | 41–12, 22–8 ACC |
| ACC tournament | in Charlotte | |||
| 23 | Thursday | W, 12–2 | Pittsburgh | 42–12 |
| 24 | Friday | L, 9–5, 12 innings | No. 19 Wake Forest | 42–13 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 31 | Friday | W, 11–8 | Long Island | 43–13 |
| June | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | W, 6–2 | No. 24 LSU | 44–13 |
| 2 | Sunday | L, 8–4 | No. 24 LSU | 44–14 |
| 3 | Monday | W, 4–3, 10 innings | vs. No. 24 LSU | 45–14 |
| Chapel Hill Super Regional | ||||
| 7 | Friday | W, 8–6 | vs. West Virginia | 46–14 |
| 8 | Saturday | W, 2–1 | vs. West Virginia | 47–14 |
| College World Series Omaha, Neb. | ||||
| 14 | Friday | W, 3–2 | vs. No. 18 Virginia | 48–14 |
| 16 | Sunday | 7 p.m. | No. 1 Tennessee | ESPN |
| 18 or 19 | Tuesday or Wednesday | 2 p.m. Tuesday (with loss) or 2 p.m. Wednesday (with win) | No. 1 Tennessee, No. 9 Florida State or No. 18 Virginia | ESPN |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics by Ainsley Fauth
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