By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — No matter how deep you go in No. 6 North Carolina’s bullpen, the pitchers have consistently done the job.
Even while the Tar Heels rested two of their best relievers, that was the case until a late hiccup on Tuesday in an 8–4 victory over Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium for the Tar Heels’ eighth victory in nine games.
With Walker McDuffie and Caden Glauber, two of UNC’s best relievers, resting because of heavy workloads last week, the Heels started the other bullpen star in Jackson Rose (top photo). That meant that UNC (28–5–1) leaned on senior left-hander Tom Chmielewski for extended work, and he came through.
“Thought our pitchers were outstanding,” Coach Scott Forbes said. “We knew, looking at the schedule, the rest of the way, we’re going to have to play well. Having a big run inning early helped, but I thought our pitching was outstanding all the way through.”
Chmielewski gave up two hits, one run, walked none and struck out two in 3⅓ innings in his longest outing of the season. Camron Seagraves (2–0) walked two and struck out two in two shutout innings.
UNC got all the runs it needed in a five-run second inning when the first five Tar Heels reached base, getting an RBI double from Colin Hynek, an RBI single from Rom Kellis V and an RBI double from Gavin Gallaher.
Charlotte (18–14) got a run off Rose (3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts) when it started the third inning with back-to-back doubles, with Adrian Jimenez’s hit driving in the run. Rose worked around a pair of walks to get out of the inning with no further damage.
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Forbes said the plan with Rose was flexible, guided more by feel than a strict number.
“We were just going to watch and see how his body looked,” Forbes said. “I didn’t think he would throw 110 pitches based on his workload against Boston College, but I thought he looked great. The biggest pitch he made was the 3–2 slider for the fly ball with the bases loaded after he had already given up a run. That kept the game where it was.”
That slider induced a flyout to get out of the third inning.
Rose’s ability to limit damage has been part of his growth, according to Forbes.
“He’s learned to compete and not fear the result,” Forbes said. “When you’re young, you’re trying to prove yourself, and you can fall into thinking if I don’t do this, I’m not going to pitch tomorrow. Instead of that, he’s just leaving it out there and getting after it.”
Carolina got that run back in the fourth inning when Cooper Nicholson got hit by a pitch and scored on Gallaher’s single to center field. UNC added a run in the seventh inning on Hynek’s sacrifice fly and one in the eighth inning on Erik Paulsen’s RBI single.
The Tar Heels’ bullpen largely shut down the 49ers, with Seagraves delivering a bounce-back outing after a rough appearance his last time out.
“His delivery has improved tremendously,” Forbes said. “He’s ultra-competitive. We need him to be a weapon for us. He can go right after hitters and doesn’t have to conserve.”
Chmielewski, meanwhile, provided the steady veteran presence UNC needed on a night when its usual late-inning options were unavailable.
“You’re a little uneasy when those guys aren’t available because they shorten the game,” Forbes said. “But we have a lot of talented arms. Chewy is that older guy who works his tail off. I thought he pitched as well as he has all year, and he did it with four pitches.”
Chmielewski said his return this season was driven by both team and personal goals after last year’s postseason run.
“I wanted to build on what we did last year,” he said. “We came up just short as a team, so that’s why I wanted to come back, to try to get over the hump and get better as a player too.”
That improvement has shown up in a deeper pitch mix and a more aggressive mindset.
“My changeup has really helped me face righties more,” Chmielewski said. “And my fastball has jumped, being able to get into the 90s more. That makes everything else better. It’s really about trusting it and throwing it as hard as I can through the zone.”
He also emphasized a simple approach when called on for extended work.
“I just take it one hitter at a time,” Chmielewski said. “I didn’t know I’d go three innings. You always have to be ready because you never know when your number is going to be called.”
Chmielewski gave up a leadoff double in the ninth inning, and Matthew Matthijs relieved him with one out. After getting a strikeout, Matthijs gave up a two-out RBI single to Jimenez and a two-run homer to Johnny Sutryk.
Even with the late runs, Forbes saw the outing as another example of the depth UNC will need as the schedule intensifies.
“If you’re going to win 40-plus games in a regular season, you have to take care of business in the middle of the week,” Forbes said. “Most of the time, that comes down to pitching.”
Notes
— North Carolina heads to Clemson (22–12, 4–8) for a three-game ACC series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The Tigers won two of three at Stanford last weekend, then won 6–4 at Santa Clara on Monday.
— UNC finished the homestand 4–1.
— The Tar Heels have won the last six meetings with Charlotte, and lead the all-time series 40–8–1, including 25–4–1 in Chapel Hill.
No. 6 UNC 8, Charlotte 4
| 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
