By R.L. Bynum
Shortstop Jake Shaffner and center fielder Owen Hull each had three hits as No. 15 North Carolina used two big defensive plays and a late offensive surge to beat California 8–1 Friday night in the opener of a three-game ACC series in Berkeley, Calif.
The Tar Heels (15–3–1, 2–2 ACC) were held without a hit until the fourth inning but scored all eight of their runs from the fifth inning on to hand the Bears (13–5, 0–1), 37th nationally in the RPI rankings, their second straight loss.
Freshman left fielder Tyler Howe set the early tone with a run‑saving play in the first inning. With runners at first and third and one out, Howe caught a fly ball from Cade Campbell and delivered a strike to the plate to cut down Jacob French for an inning‑ending double play.
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UNC, 6–3 all-time against Cal, didn’t break through until Howe’s two-out RBI single in the fifth inning scored Hull, who doubled with one out.
Carolina got all the runs it would need in the four-run sixth inning. Macon Winslow drew a bases-loaded walk, Hull hit a two-run single up the middle and Howe walked on a 3–2 pitch with two outs.
Schaffner (top photo), a junior North Dakota State transfer whose fourth-inning single was UNC’s first hit, collected a sixth‑inning double and a solo home run to right-center in the seventh inning, coming a triple away from the cycle. Schaffner leads the team in batting average (.379), doubles (5), triples (4), total bases (42), slugging percentage (.712), hit by pitches (6) and steals (7).
Cal junior right-hander Oliver de la Torre (loser, 1–3) gave up six hits and five runs in 5⅓ innings with one walk and five strikeouts.
Hull, a junior George Mason transfer who drove in two runs and is hitting .524 in the last five games, dove to catch a liner from Ethan Kodama in the seventh inning. The baserunner had already rounded third base, so Hull ran in to tag second base to complete the inning-ending double play.
The Tar Heels added two runs in the ninth inning on Erik Paulsen’s one-out RBI single to center field, and Winslow’s one-out sacrifice fly to right field.
UNC junior right‑hander Jason DeCaro (winner, 4–1) gave up five hits, one run and two walks with two strikeouts in six innings, with 55 of his 85 pitches going for strikes. The only run off of him was Campbell’s solo home run to left field in the sixth inning.
Freshman right-hander Caden Glauber threw three shutout relief innings with a walk and two strikeouts to earn his first save, moving his ERA to 0.87.
The series resumes at 5 p.m. Saturday with UNC sophomore right-hander Ryan Lynch (1–1, 4.50 ERA) opposing Cal senior right-hander Ethan Foley (2–0, 4.12 ER). In Sunday’s 4 p.m. series finale, Tar Heels left-hander Folger Boaz (2–0, 4.58 ERA) opposes Bears redshirt sophomore right-hander Gavin Eddy (3–0, 1.57 ERA). Both games stream on ACC Network Extra, but the opener was a single-camera broadcast.
No. 15 UNC 8, Cal 1
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Scores | Opponent (current rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 13–14 | Fri., Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 12–2 (7); W, 4–3 (11) | vs. Indiana | 3–0 |
| 17 | Tuesday | W, 10–0 (7) | vs. Richmond | 4–0 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 5–3 | vs. Longwood | 5–0 |
| 20–22 | Fri.-Sun | W, 10–0 (8); L, 10–3; T, 3–3 | vs. East Carolina | 6–1–1 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. N.C. A&T | 7–1–1 |
| 25 | Wednesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. VCU | 8–1–1 |
| 27–28 | Fri., Sat. | W, 16–3 (7); W, 12–2 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 10–1–1 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 21–1 (7) | vs. Le Moyne | 11–1–1 |
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 5–1 | vs. Elon | 12–1–1 |
| 6–7 | Fri., Sat | L, 13–3 (7); L, 9–2; W, 8–7 (12) | vs. Virginia | 13–3–1, 1–2 ACC |
| 10 | Tuesday | W, 13–3 (7) | vs. Bucknell | 14–3–1 |
| 13–15 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 8–1; W, 6–2; W, 10–2 | at California | 17–3–1, 4–2 |
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 8–2 | vs. UNCG | 18–3–1 |
| 20–22 | Fri.–Sun. | W, 11–1 (8); L, 2–0; W, 7–6 | vs. Louisville | 20–4–1, 6–3 |
| 24 | Tuesday | W, 9–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 21–4–1 |
| 28, 29 | Sat., Sun | W, 6–5; W, 13–7; W, 15–10 | at Notre Dame | 24–4–1, 9–3 |
| 31 | Tuesday | W, 5–4 (14) | vs. Campbell | 25–4–1 |
| April | ||||
| 2–4 | Thur.-Sat. | L, 6–1; W, 5–2; W, 8–7 | vs. Boston College | 27–5–1, 11–4 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 8–4 | vs. Charlotte | 28–5–1 |
| 10–12 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5; W, 6–4 (14); W, 12–5 | at Clemson | 30–6–1, 13–5 |
| 14 | Tuesday | W, 14–5 | vs. UNCW | 31–6–1 |
| 17–19 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 5–2; W, 14–4 (8); L, 5–2 | vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech | 33–7–1, 15–6 |
| 21 | Tuesday | W, 9–2 | vs. High Point | 34–7–1 |
| 23–25 | Thur.–Sat. | W, 3–1; L, 3–1; W, 22–5 (7) | at Duke | 36–8–1, 17–7 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 12–2 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 36–9–1 |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–0 (7) (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | 37–9–1 |
| 8–10 | Fri.-Sun. | W, 4–1; W, 12–2 (8); W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 40–9–1, 20–7 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | at UNCW | 41–9–1 |
| 14–16 | Thur.-Sat. | W, 9–4; W, 17–7 (8); L, 7–2 | at N.C. State | 43–10–1, 22–8 |
| ACC tournament | Charlotte | |||
| 22 | Friday | W, 10–4 | Quarterfinal vs. Virginia Tech | 44–10–1 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 13–5 | Semifinal vs. Pittsburgh | 45–10–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 13–6 | Championship vs. No. 2 Ga. Tech | 45–11–1 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 8–0 | VCU | 46–11–1 |
| 30–31 | Sat.–Sun. | W, 7–5; W, 9–3 | East Carolina | 48–11–1 |
| June | ||||
| Chapel Hill Super Regionals | ||||
| 5–7 | Fri.–Sun. | L, 9–5; W, 4–0; W, 4–3 | Southern Cal | 50–12–1 |
| College World Series | Omaha, Neb. | |||
| 12 | Friday | W, 6–2 | No. 18 Ole Miss | 51–12–1 |
| 14, 17 | Sun., Wed. | W, 5–2; W, 12–7 | No. 9 West Virginia | 53–12–1 |
| 20–22 | Sat.-Mon. | L, 9–3; W, 6–2; L, 13–2 | CWS Finals vs. Oklahoma | 54–14–1 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
