By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Two damaging errors and the inability to come up with big hits ended top-ranked North Carolina’s dreams of back-to-back trips to the College World Series and only left the Tar Heels with heartbreak.
A three-run third-inning home run by senior second baseman Jackson Van De Brake was all the offense UNC could muster. He made one of two errors in No. 21 Arizona’s three-run eighth inning as the Wildcats won the Chapel Hill Super Regional with a 4–3 win Sunday before a packed Boshamer Stadium.
“Be thankful in all circumstances,” an emotional UNC coach Scott Forbes said, quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which is on his game card, “which can be extremely difficult to do, but that’s what I’m going to hold on to and cling to, because that’s just a really special group in there. To see them hurting, obviously, is the reason for the tears. Sports will rip your heart out sometimes.”
For more photos capturing the emotion and frustration of UNC’s loss, visit this photo gallery.
After throwing 52 pitches in winning Game 2 on Saturday, Arizona closer Tony Pluta retired Carolina in order in the ninth inning, striking out Carter French to end the game and record his 14th save.
“One-run games are tough in college baseball, and the big thing is keep guys off base,” Arizona coach Chip Hale said. “And Tony did that. Obviously, we’re just overwhelmed with emotion.”
It was a day when Carolina hit into two inning-ending double plays when it needed big hits, and botched a big potential double play in the eighth inning.
“I’m extremely heartbroken for them, selfishly heartbroken because I don’t get to put this uniform on with them again and take them to the College World Series, but they have so much to be proud of,” Forbes said.
Carolina (46–15), which was 2 of 13 with runners on base and 0 for 7 with two outs, wasted a masterful performance from freshman right-hander Ryan Lynch, who threw 91 pitches in a season-high 7+ innings, giving up three hits, two runs and one walk while striking out five.
“He was phenomenal,” Forbes said. “He was the reason we were in the position we were in. He had complete control of the game. He was attacking the strike zone.”
It was Lynch’s third consecutive outstanding start after 14–4 wins on May 25 over Clemson in the ACC tournament championship game and over Oklahoma last Monday in the deciding game of the Chapel Hill Regional.
“It didn’t surprise me, honestly,” Forbes said, “because he’s had those big starts, and he’s been so good for us the last two times.”
Forbes said that Jake Knapp and Jason DeCaro were available, but he would only use them in specific situations.
“We had to have a late lead, maybe the ninth inning,” Forbes said.
Van De Brake’s fielding error on a potential double play followed a leadoff single by Andrew Cain in the eighth inning to end Lynch’s day. Fellow freshman right-hander Walker McDuffie (loser, 3–3) came on with runners on the corners after throwing 34 pitches the day before.
“Our middle infield has been phenomenal,” Forbes said. “That ball just bounced up on him. Obviously, he tried to make the play.”
Easton Breyfogle reached on a throwing error by third baseman Gavin Gallaher to drive in a run, colliding with Stokely at first base, taking a long time to get up and exiting the game.
“The fact that we got out of it with two mistakes and still had a chance says a lot about our team,” Forbes said. “But I just hurt for the player always, because nobody’s perfect and they’ve been so good.”
Forbes said that pulling Lynch in the eighth inning wasn’t a hard decision.
“His velocity was dropping pretty good. He still had sink on the ball, and we knew they were going to bunt right there, and that’s something that Ryan has to get much better on,” said Forbes, noting that McDuffie was one of UNC’s best fielders on bunts. “Gavin makes that play in his sleep. And unfortunately, we just didn’t make it.”
McDuffie walked his first batter to load the bases, and came out in favor of Aidan Haugh after getting a pop out for the second out. Mason White greeted Haugh by hitting a changeup for a two-run single to left-center to give Arizona a 4–3 lead before UNC got an inning-ending double play.
For the third consecutive game, Arizona (44–19) grabbed a 1–0 lead. Second baseman Garen Caulfield lined a 342-foot shot just to the right of the left-field foul pole on a 1–2 pitch with two outs for a second-inning home run.
Arizona starter Smith Bailey (6 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts) walked two straight Tar Heels on 3–1 pitches in the second inning with one out, but Tyson Bass hit into an inning-ending double play.
“You’ve got to capitalize, and the team that capitalizes the most usually comes out on top,” Forbes said. “I thought both teams were having really competitive at-bats. I thought our guys were having great at-bats, one after the other, hit a couple balls hard that didn’t find the grass.”
UNC got to Bailey in the third inning, though. After one-out singles by Carter French and Kane Kepley, Van De Brake hit a 1–2 pitch 346 feet to left field for a three-run homer and a 3–1 UNC lead.
A fielding error by Arizona shortstop Mason White on a potential inning-ending double play ball in the sixth inning left UNC runners at the corners, but he then started an inning-ending double play.
NOTES — It was the first time Carolina had lost consecutive home games since Boston College swept an April 21–23, 2023, three-game series 9–8 in 10 innings, 9–4 and 6–2. Arizona catcher Adonys Guzman played for BC in that series. … UNC outscored Arizona in the series 29–16. … The Tar Heels didn’t hit their 18th home run until the 18th game, but had 18 in the last seven games. … Kepley’s 45 steals are the second-highest season total in program history behind Brian Roberts’ 69 in 1998. … Hunter Stokely made a nice diving catch to his right in the second inning to rob Guzman of a hit. … Bill Belichick watched the game from the camera well next to the UNC dugout. … UNC has won seven of 10 Supers it has hosted. … Carolina is 18–10 in Super Regional games over 12 appearances. … Arizona leads the all-time series with UNC 5–3. … Carolina fell to 2–2 in Game 3s of Super Regionals. The Heels beat South Carolina 9–4 in 2007 and 5–4 in 2013, and lost to Auburn 14–7 in 2019, with all games in Chapel Hill.
No. 21 Arizona 4, No. 1 UNC 3
Chapel Hill Super Regional
Top-ranked and No. 5-seed North Carolina (46–14) vs. No. 21-ranked Arizona (43–19)
Best-of-3 series
Boshamer Stadium
Game 1 Friday: North Carolina 18, Arizona 2
Game 2 Saturday: Arizona 10, North Carolina 8; series tied at 1
Game 3 Sunday: Arizona 4, North Carolina 3; Arizona wins series 2–1
Arizona meets No. 11-ranked and No. 13-seed Coastal Carolina (53–11), which finished off a sweep of the Auburn Super Regional, beating No. 9-ranked and No. 4-seed Auburn 7–6 in 10 innings on Friday and 4–1 on Saturday.
UNC scores
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times | Opponent (current rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | |||
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sat. | 4, noon, 1 | vs. Indiana |
| 17 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Richmond |
| 18 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Longwood |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun. | 4 (Greenville), 2 (DBAP), 2 (CH) | vs. East Carolina |
| 24 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. N.C. A&T |
| 25 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. VCU |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | 4 p.m., 2 p.m. | vs. Le Moyne |
| March | |||
| 1 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Le Moyne |
| 3 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Elon |
| 6–8 | Fri.-Sun. | 4, 2, 1 | vs. Virginia |
| 10 | Tuesday | 4 p.m. | vs. Bucknell |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | 9, 5, 4 | at California |
| 18 | Wednesday | 4 p.m. | vs. UNCG |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun. | 8, 2, 1 | vs. No. 8 Louisville |
| 24 | Tuesday | 6:30 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte |
| 27–29 | Fri.-Sun. | 6:30, 3, 1 | at Notre Dame |
| 31 | Tuesday | 8 p.m. | vs. Campbell |
| April | |||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | 6, 6, 2 | vs. Boston College |
| 7 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Charlotte |
| 10–12 | Fri.-Sun. | 6, 2, 12:30 | at No. 19 Clemson |
| 14 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. UNCW |
| 17–19 | Fri-Sun. | 6, noon, 1 | vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech |
| 21 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. High Point |
| 23–25 | Fri.-Sun. | 7, 6, 3 | at Duke |
| 28 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Coastal Carolina |
| 29 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Queens |
| May | |||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. (non-conference game) | vs. Duke |
| 6 | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | vs. Winthrop |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | 6, noon, 1 | vs. Pittsburgh |
| 12 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | at UNCW |
| 14–16 | Thurs.-Sat. | 7, 6, 1 | at No. 17 N.C. State |
| 19–24 | Tues.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Charlotte |
| 29–31 | Fri.-Sun. | NCAA Regionals | Campus sites |
| June | |||
| 5–7 | Fri.-Sun. | NCAA Super Regionals | Campus sites |
| 12–22 | Fri.-Mon | College World Series | Omaha, Neb. |
Photos by Smith Hardy
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