By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Pitching ruled on Sunday at Boshamer Stadium, and No. 16 North Carolina’s edge there and superior defense were the difference in earning the Tar Heels’ first ACC series sweep of the season.
Two right-handers, sophomore Jason DeCaro and freshman Walker McDuffie, finished a dominant pitching series for UNC with six strikeouts each in a 3–2 victory over Wake Forest. Each team could only muster four hits, but an early Deacons error led to two runs, and they never led in the series.
Freshman DH Lee Sowers delivered the game-winning seventh-inning hit in his first college start, again showing that UNC (28–8, 20–5 ACC) has plenty of talent on the bench.
“We did not give them extra outs, which you can’t do against really good teams,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said. “And when you pitch it like we do, if you make plays, we have a chance to win every game.”
Shortstop Alex Madera made a tremendous play in the hole to his right and threw out leadoff batter Luke Castello — thanks to a nice stretch by first baseman Hunter Stokely — to start the ninth inning. McDuffie (winner, 3–1) struck out the next two batters to finish off the win.
“He had the feel to know, ‘This guy runs enough, I’ve got to try to hop it.’ And credit to Stoke. He held the bag, which is not easy to do,” Forbes said.
UNC has won four in a row and 11 of the last 13 after holding Wake Forest (24–13, 9–9) to a season-low four runs in a series. The Deacons’ previous low was 17 runs (against Clemson and Virginia Tech), and they scored 36 against Notre Dame and 33 the previous weekend at No. 9 Florida State.
“I think our weekend rotation is that good, and then I love our bullpen. It’s emerging. We’re starting to figure out our roles,” Forbes said of the relievers adjusting with veteran right-hander Matthew Matthijs out with an injury. “It’s the type of team we have in that locker room where they’re going to band together even more when something like that happens.”
Wake Forest junior shortstop Marek Houston, a likely top-10 pick in the June draft, was 1 for 9 in the series. McDuffie struck him out with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh inning after walking in the tying run earlier in the inning.
“When he struck out Houston, it’s a big moment [and I was thinking] we’re gonna find a way to win that game,” Forbes said.
McDuffie brought the heat with a couple of fastballs in the mid-90s and a slider to get the big out.
“When you face a guy that good, you’re obviously going to compete at your highest level and just try to match him,” McDuffie said. “And I got the best of that, and I was pretty fired up to limit the damage there.”
Thanks to the terrific pitching in the first two games of the series, McDuffie was fresh and could have thrown a lot more than the 65 pitches he threw. He gave up only two hits and a run in 3⅓ innings. To come through in big moments for his dream school was huge for McDuffie.
“This is where I always wanted to go. It’s cool to finally live it and not be in the stands as a fan myself. Just pretty grateful,” said McDuffie, who is from Broadway in Lee County.
DeCaro had one of his best starts of the season. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and gave up only two hits and a run in 5⅔ innings, thanks to his excellent curveball command.
The staff had been working on some mechanics, including his foot strike, and it all seemed to come together after some struggles in recent starts.
“I thought he was in complete control from the first pitch until we took him out,” Forbes said. “He doesn’t get fazed; he’s the same guy. He’s going to compete his tail off. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.”
Wake Forest has the worst fielding percentage in the ACC, and that quickly cost the Deacs.
After one-out singles from senior second baseman Jackson Van De Brake and sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson in the first inning, both scored with two outs on second baseman Dalton Wentz’s fielding error.
Gallaher stabbed a screaming liner for the third out of the second inning to keep DeCaro’s no-hit bid going.
In the fifth inning, DeCaro walked DH Luke Costello with one out. He took second on DeCaro’s throwing error. DeCaro got out of the inning when he struck out right fielder Matt Scannell, who had to be thrown out at first after a dropped third strike. Costello got thrown out at third for the inning-ending double play.
Wake Forest center fielder Cam Nelson broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in the sixth inning, lining a 2–2 pitch to right field for a double. Houston followed with an RBI single to left field.
DeCaro, whose day was done after walking left fielder Kade Lewis, threw 107 pitches, the second-most this season (111 at Boston College in a 3–2 loss on March 22). McDuffie got a fly out to get out of the inning.
McDuffie gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out in the seventh. After getting a strikeout and walking in a run, he got the big strikeout of Houston.
UNC quickly retook the lead after Madera drew a one-out walk that ended an excellent pitching day for Wake Forest right-hander Blake Morningstar (loser, 4–1; 6⅓ innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.) His relief, right-hander Josh Gunter, moved Madera to second with his throwing error, and Sowers, in his first college start, drove him home with a single to left field.
His big hit came after he struggled in the preseason and worked hard to get a chance, finally getting his first college at-bat on Saturday.
Sowers let the emotions flow as he celebrated his first college hit at first base.
“Getting that hit, being able to step up there for the guys, means the world because all these guys have had my back,” Sowers said. “Just couldn’t hold it back; I was really excited and really grateful to be in that position.”
NOTES — UNC hosts Charlotte at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (ACC Network Extra) before playing a weekend series at No. 25 Virginia Tech beginning Friday. The 49ers (21–14) won two of three this weekend over East Carolina, which won Sunday’s series finale 12–4. The Hokies (23–13, 9–9) got swept in a weekend home series against No. 9 Florida State, losing 4–2 on Sunday. … The 31 series runs are the most in an ACC series (previous high 20 against Stanford) and tied with the Stony Brook series for the most this season. … UNC junior center fielder Kane Kepley went 0 for 4 and had his 35-game on-base streak snapped. … Carolina has won nine consecutive home series against Wake Forest dating back to 2001. … Stevenson walked once and leads the ACC with 43 free passes. … Former UNC shortstop Colby Wilkerson operated the stadium scoreboard. … UNC leads the all-time series 173–127–3, including 101–57–1 in Chapel Hill, and 38–13 since 2003. … Forbes is 8–2 against Wake Forest and Deacons coach Tom Walter is 9–24 against UNC.
No. 16 UNC 3, Wake Forest 2
ACC standings
| League | Overall | |
|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Clemson | 11–4 | 33–6 |
| No. 14 Georgia Tech | 14–4 | 29–7 |
| No. 7 Florida State | 11–4 | 28–7 |
| No. 12 North Carolina | 11–7 | 28–8 |
| No. 17 Louisville | 9–6 | 26–9 |
| N.C. State | 9–6 | 24–12 |
| Wake Forest | 9–9 | 24–13 |
| Virginia Tech | 9–9 | 23–13 |
| Duke | 9–9 | 24–14 |
| Virginia | 9–9 | 20–14 |
| Miami | 6–9 | 20–17 |
| Boston College | 7–11 | 17–18 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–10 | 18–16 |
| Stanford | 6–12 | 19–14 |
| California | 6–12 | 17–18 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 16–17 |
Sunday’s results
No. 12 North Carolina 3, Wake Forest 2
No. 7 Florida State 4, Virginia Tech 2
Boston College 4, Notre Dame 3
Miami 8, Duke 6
Virginia 18, Pittsburgh 0
No. 14 Georgia Tech 4, California 3
N.C. State 11, No. 17 Louisville 1
Stanford 11, No. 3 Clemson 6
Tuesday’s games
UConn at Boston College, 4 p.m.
Virginia Tech at East Tennessee State, 5 p.m.
Valparaiso at Notre Dame, 5:30
Charlotte at No. 12 North Carolina, 6 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at Miami, 6 p.m.
No. 21 Coastal Carolina at Wake Forest, 6 p.m.
Liberty at Virginia, 6 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Kent State, 6 p.m.
Appalachian State at Duke 6 p.m.
Western Kentucky at No. 17 Louisville, 6 p.m.
South Florida at No. 7 Florida State, 6 p.m.
No. 14 Georgia Tech at No. 5 Georgia, 7 p.m.
Fresno State at California, 9 p.m.
Next weekend’s ACC series
Thursday-Saturday
Pittsburgh at Duke, 6, 6, 1
Boston College at Wake Forest, 6, 6, 1
Virginia at No. 7 Florida State, 7 (ACC Network), 7, 2
No. 17 Louisville at No. 3 Clemson, 7, 7, 1
N.C. State at California, 9, 9, 5
Friday-Sunday
No. 12 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 7, 3, 1
No. 14 Georgia Tech at Miami, 7 (ACC Network), 6 (ACC Network), 1
Notre Dame at Stanford, 9:05, 5, 4
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent (current rank) | TV */ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 14–15 | Fri.-Sat. | W, 5–1; W, 8–3; W, 4–2 | vs. Texas Tech | 3–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 12–9 | vs. Kansas State | 4–0 |
| 22–24 | Sat.-Mon. | W, 2–0; W, 11–6; W, 6–4 | vs. East Carolina (DBAP, CH, G’ville) | 7–0 |
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 7–4 | vs. VCU | 8–0 |
| 26 | Wednesday | W, 13–4 | vs. N.C. A&T | 9–0 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 16–2 | vs. Stony Brook | 10–0 |
| March | ||||
| 1–2 | Sat.-Sun. | W, 6–1; W, 9–5 | vs. Stony Brook | 12–0 |
| 4 | Tuesday | W, 6–4 (11) | vs. Coastal Carolina | 13–0 |
| 7–9 | Fri.-Sun. | L, 13–9; W, 11–1 (7); L, 7–0 | vs. Stanford | 14–2, 1–2 ACC |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 7–3 (10) | at UNCW | 15–2 |
| 14, 16 | Fri., Sun. | L, 8–7; W, 6–4; L, 5–0 | at No. 17 Louisville | 16–4, 2–4 |
| 19 | Wednesday | L, 5–1 | vs. UConn | 16–5 |
| 21–23 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 5–1; L, 3–2; W, 10–0 (7) | at Boston College | 18–6, 4–5 |
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 13–8 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 19–7 |
| 28–30 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 2–0; W, 4–2; L, 4–2 | vs. Miami | 21–7, 6–6 |
| April | ||||
| 1 | Tuesday | W, 11–1 (7) | vs. Gardner-Webb | 22–7 |
| 3–5 | Thur.-Sat. | W, 4–3; L, 9–5; W, 8–7 (14) | vs. Duke | 24–8, 8–7 |
| 8 | Tuesday | W, 12–10 | at Elon | 25–8 |
| 11–13 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 11–1 (7); W, 17–1 (7); W, 3–2 | vs. Wake Forest | 28–8, 11–7 |
| 15 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Charlotte | |
| 18–20 | Fri.–Sun. | 7, 3, 1 | at Virginia Tech | ACCN (Sunday) |
| 22 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Presbyterian | |
| 25–27 | Fri.–Sun. | 6, 3, 1 | at Pittsburgh | |
| 29 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. George Mason | |
| 30 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Queens | |
| May | ||||
| 6 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Campbell | |
| 9–11 | Fri.–Sun | 6, noon, 1 | vs. N.C. State | |
| 13 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. UNCW | |
| 15–17 | Thu.–Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | at No. 7 Florida State | ACCN (Thursday) |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 20–25 | Tue.–Sun. | Single-elimination event | Durham Bulls Athletic Park | |
| 30–31 | Fri.–Sat. | NCAA regionals | Campus sites | |
| June | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | NCAA regionals | Campus sites | |
| 6–8 | Fri.–Sun. | Super Regionals | Campus sites | |
| 18–30 | Wed.–Mon. | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. |
* Unless otherwise indicated, games only stream on ACC Network Extra.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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