By R.L. Bynum
DURHAM — The Carolina bats that were so quiet in the first two games at Duke turned thunderous in Saturday’s series finale.
After going 27 innings without a home run, center fielder Owen Hull belted a three-run shot in No. 2 UNC’s seven-run fourth inning, and the Tar Heels rolled to a 22–5 run-rule victory at Jack Coombs Field.
“Big statement from our guys,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said. “Obviously, we had struggled. We talked about it after the game [Friday], but that’s baseball.”
Carolina (36–8–1, 17–7 ACC) has won seven consecutive league series, sparked by its sixth inning with at least seven runs this season, and the second in ACC play, tormenting nine Duke pitchers with a season-high run total. It was UNC’s 11th run-rule win this season and second in a league game. It’s the most runs since a 25–1 win in 2010 over Princeton and the most runs in an ACC game since a 23–8 victory over Maryland in 2000.
“I thought that was a dagger,” Forbes said of Hull’s three-run shot.
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Shortstop Jake Schaffner (4 for 5, 5 runs, 2 RBI), Hull (3 for 4, HR, 5 RBI) and second baseman Gavin Gallaher (3 for 5, 3 runs, triple, 6 RBI) paced UNC’s 18-hit attack.
Gallaher, who had been searching for rhythm at the plate, said the mindset was as important as any mechanical fix. He kept switching bats when he had trouble getting hits.
“There’s not much to it,” Gallaher said of the bat-swiching. “Things aren’t really going too great at the plate, then you try to switch something up without thinking too much about mechanics. At the end of the day, we were a lot more confident and a lot more comfortable. Once a couple of guys started getting some knocks, everybody took a deep breath and let it go from there.”
Gallaher said he simplified the approach and leaned on routine, including a different bat.
“Mike Mcginnis has got a good one, Colin Hynek uses it as well,” Gallaher said. “I settled on one I don’t think is used by anybody. Just found it.”
Freshman right-hander Caden Glauber, other than giving up two home runs, was sharp in his first ACC start. He had gone at least five innings in relief four times, but only two innings in his only previous start, March 3 against Elon.
Glauber (6–0; 4 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts) started after junior left-hander Folger Boaz had been the No. 3 starter all season before giving up 16 runs over 14⅔ innings in his last four starts. Boaz lasted 2⅔ innings last weekend against Georgia Tech, giving up three earned runs.
Forbes said Glauber looked different in a starting role, saying that the freshman was noticeably amped up early.
“He had great stuff. He battled and gave us some quality,” Forbes said.
Glauber acknowledged the jump in emotion that comes with taking the ball first and said the key was settling in quickly.
“For sure, definitely some nerves,” he said. “But after the first pitch, it all went away. Good nerves.”
In the first inning, Duke right fielder R.J. Hamilton hit the first home run of the series by either team, launching a drive that just cleared the left-center field wall. The Blue Devils’ Matthew Strand belted a two-run homer in the third inning to tie the game.
Glauber said the response after the big swings was the part he valued most, especially with Duke’s lineup hunting fastballs.
“We always talk about bouncing back,” Glauber said. “It’s crucial because you can’t let yourself get down after that one big hit. You’ve got to get back to your roots and get the next guy out.”
Carolina managed only three extra-base hits during the first two series games, but matched that while piling up 10 runs in the third and fourth innings.
“The story of the game was our at-bats, and when they answered and tied the game with a two-run home run, we came right back. That was big,” Forbes said.
Forbes’ message before the first pitch was less about reinventing swings and more about competing through failure.
“We had a discussion before the game about the importance of positivity and getting over failure,” Forbes said. “You’re going to fail.”
He sent the team a video of Derek Jeter talking about understanding what failure is and not fearing it.
“I wanted to explain to them we have to be aggressive all the time, but you have to handle failure,” Forbes said.
In the third inning, Gallaher crushed an opposite-field drive to the right-center field warning track against Duke starter Andy Leon (2–3) for a two-run triple and scored on Hull’s double to right-center.
Forbes had noticed Gallaher staying through the ball, a sign, he said, that the second baseman’s work was starting to show.
“I caught Gavin staying on that ball and driving it in the gap,” Forbes said. “There’s no secret, Gavin’s been struggling a little bit for Gavin, and I knew it was a matter of time. He worked hard. That was big for him, big for us.”
Jack Hedrick replaced Leon with two on and one out in the fourth inning, and it all unraveled for Duke (23–23, 9–15).
He quickly departed after giving up four consecutive hits on 10 pitches, including Hull’s three-run homer to left field. Bennett LaPalm, Duke’s third pitcher of the inning, gave up a bases-loaded walk as UNC sent 13 batters to the plate.
UNC saw three pitchers again in the four-run fifth inning, getting RBI singles from Macon Winslow and Tyler Howe.
Boaz relieved Glauber in the fifth inning, giving up three hits, including Adam Troch’s RBI single in his only inning. Duke got a run off Cameron Padgett in the sixth on Andrew Bell’s home run.
UNC added two runs in the sixth on Hull’s RBI single and Winslow’s sacrifice fly. In the seventh, the Heels scored six more runs, highlighted by Gallaher’s two-run single and Perry Hargett’s RBI double.
Carolina freshman right-hander Jake Cackovic pitched the seventh inning, giving up a hit and getting a strikeout. It was only the fifth appearance this season and first in ACC play for the Holly Springs product.
Forbes, looking ahead to a busy stretch, said the focus was on enjoying the win and moving forward quickly.
“Big win for us,” Forbes said. “We’ll take it and move on and get ready for another week.”
Notes
— UNC returns home for a seven-game home stand, the last one of the regular season, beginning with a 7 p.m. Tuesday showdown against No. 9 Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers (30–13) won two of three over the weekend in a home series against Texas State, losing Sunday’s finale 10–6.
— Forbes said that Jason DeCaro will likely pitch against Coastal, either starting or coming out of the bullpen, since he last pitched Thursday. Forbes said Tuesday’s starter will probably be DeCaro or freshman left-hander Jackson Rose.
— UNC’s streak of seven consecutive ACC series wins is the longest since the 2017 team won all 10.
— The Tar Heels’ previous high run total this season was in a 21–1 run-rule victory over LeMoyne on March 1. Their previous ACC high came in last weekend’s 14–4 run-rule win over Georgia Tech.
— Carolina third baseman Cooper Nicholson saved a run in the second inning when he made a terrific play to his right on Coltin Quagliano’s screamer down the line and threw him out at first base. Nicholson was hit by a pitch twice in the fourth inning.
— UNC hitting coach Jesse Wierzbicki had three hits in that 2010 win over Princeton.
— Tar Heels batters were hit by pitches 13 times in the series, including six times Saturday. That tied the six times Clemson pitchers hit UNC batters on April 12.
— All three games in the series were played in less than three hours. Saturday’s game lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes, after Thursday’s went 2:37 and Friday’s 2:36.
— UNC leads the all-time series 204–109–2, including 81–52–1 in Durham. The teams meet again at 2 p.m. on Sunday next weekend at Boshamer Stadium in a game that won’t count in the ACC standings.
No. 2 UNC 22, Duke 5 (7)
ACC standings
| League | GB | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Georgia Tech | 19–5 | — | 37–7 |
| No. 2 North Carolina | 17–7 | 2 | 36–9–1 |
| No. 20 Boston College | 16–8 | 3 | 34–14 |
| Miami | 12–9 | 5½ | 32–12 |
| No. 14 Florida State | 12–9 | 5½ | 30–14 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 12–12 | 7 | 30–16 |
| Wake Forest | 12–13 | 7½ | 30–17 |
| Pittsburgh | 10–11 | 7½ | 28–15 |
| N.C. State | 10–11 | 7½ | 28–16 |
| Stanford | 10–11 | 7½ | 22–19 |
| Virginia Tech | 11–13 | 8 | 23–20 |
| Louisville | 10–12 | 8 | 26–20 |
| Duke | 9–15 | 10 | 23–23 |
| California | 7–14 | 10½ | 23–21 |
| Notre Dame | 8–16 | 11 | 21–20 |
| Clemson | 6–15 | 11½ | 26–19 |
Thursday-Saturday series
Louisville at Wake Forest — Thursday: WF, 9–8; Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 1 p.m.
Friday-Sunday series
Miami at N.C. State — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 7:30 (ESPNU); Sunday: 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at No. 14 Florida State — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.
No. 20 Boston College at Clemson — Friday: 6 p.m.; Saturday: 1 p.m. (ACCN); Sunday: noon
Stanford at Notre Dame — Friday: 6:30 p.m.; Saturday: 2 p.m.; Sunday: 1 p.m.
Virginia Tech at California — Friday: 9:05; Saturday: 5:05; Sunday 4 p.m.
Saturday non-conference game
Xavier at No. 3 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.
Sunday non-conference games
Radford at No. 23 Virginia, doubleheader, 1 p.m.
Xavier at No. 3 Georgia Tech, 1 p.m.
Duke at No. 2 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ACCN
| Date(s) | Day/ month | Times/ scores | Opponent (current rank) | Record/ TV * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. No. 23 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. No. 20 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. 3 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. No. 9 Coastal Carolina | 36–9–1 |
| May | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | 2 p.m. (non-conference game) | vs. Duke | ACCN |
| 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 N.C. State | Thurs. ACCN |
| 19–24 | Tues.-Sun. | ACC tournament | Charlotte | ACCN (final ESPN2) |
| 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. |
- Games not on TV stream on ACC Network Extra unless otherwise note.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
