By R.L. Bynum
The home run derby was a draw, but No. 2 North Carolina prevailed in the game.
UNC hit a season-high four home runs to knock off UNCW 13–7 on Tuesday at Brooks Field in Wilmington despite four Seahawks home runs, the most by a Tar Heels opponent this season.
Carolina wanted to rest its best bullpen arms for the N.C. State series that starts Thursday, so the big run output was needed. Every UNC starter got at least one hit, and the Tar Heels got two each from Jake Schaffner, Cooper Nicholson, Gavin Gallaher and Colin Hynek, the latter two with home runs. Gallaher and Owen Hull both drove in four runs.
UNC (41–9–1), which extended its win streak against UNCW (28–23) to 10, hit at least three home runs for the sixth time this season and the second time in four games after hitting three Friday against Pittsburgh.
Carolina finished a season sweep of UNCW after the Tar Heels won 14–5 on April 15 in Chapel Hill.
UNC jumped out to a 6–2 lead through two innings on a pair of three-run home runs.
After Schaffner singled to lead off the game and Hull walked, Gallaher launched a 405-foot drive over the center-field wall for his 10th home run. UNCW’s Mason Hughes hit a two-out solo home run off UNC starter Jackson Rose (1⅓ innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout) in the first inning.
Hull responded with a two-out three-run homer in the top of the second inning after a Hynek single, and Schaffner got hit by a pitch. The Seahawks scored in the bottom of that inning on a two-out single to right field by Matous Buberik, the first batter reliever Cameron Padgett (1⅔ innings, 4 hits, 3 runs 0 walks, 2 strikeouts) faced.
Both teams got third-inning solo home runs, UNC’s from Erik Paulsen and the Seahawks’ from Trevor Lucas. Each team added two runs in the fourth. UNC’s inning was highlighted by Gallaher’s RBI double, with Cole Nelson hitting a solo homer for UNCW.
In the fifth inning, Nicholson singled and scored on a wild pitch.
UNC’s Matthew Matthijs (winner, 3–0; 3⅓ innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts) was the most effective pitcher. When he kept the Seahawks off the scoreboard in the fifth inning, that was the first scoreless half-inning from either team. UNCW didn’t score on him until Lucas’ 11th homer of the season, a two-out solo shot in the sixth inning.
After Matthijs gave up a walk and single to lead off the seventh, he came out with one out in favor of Camron Seagraves. Seagraves issued a walk but struck out two in the inning, including with the bases loaded and two outs.
Tom Chmielweski entered the game after Seagraves (⅔ inning, 0 his, 1 run, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts) gave up back-to-back walks to start the eighth inning. He gave up an RBI single with one out, but got out of the inning with a strikeout and earned his first save of the season after pitching two scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts.
Hynek gave UNC some insurance with a two-run home run in the three-run ninth inning.
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Notes
— Carolina plays its final regular-season series at N.C. State (31–19, 13–14 ACC) beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday (ACC Network). The Wolfpack lost two of three games at Stanford last weekend.
— It was the most runs UNC has given up in a win since an 8–7 victory April 4 over Boston College.
— The previous opponent home run high against UNC was three by Notre Dame and Duke.
— Carolina leads the all-time series with UNCW 68–16, including 27–8 in Wilmington
— UNC finished the season 13–1 in mid-week games and 21–2–1 against non-conference opponents.
— The Tar Heels are 12–2 on the road and 20–0 when scoring double-digit runs.
No. 2 UNC 13, UNCW 7
ACC standings
| League | GB | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Georgia Tech | 25–5 | — | 45–9 |
| No. 2 North Carolina | 22–8 | 3 | 43–10–1 |
| No. 11 Florida State | 19–11 | 6 | 38–15 |
| No. 23 Boston College | 17–13 | 8 | 36–20 |
| Wake Forest | 16–14 | 9 | 38–18 |
| Miami | 16–14 | 9 | 36–17 |
| Virginia Tech | 15–15 | 10 | 29–23 |
| Virginia | 14–16 | 11 | 35–20 |
| N.C. State | 14–16 | 11 | 32–21 |
| Stanford | 13–17 | 12 | 27–25 |
| Notre Dame | 13–17 | 12 | 30–21 |
| Louisville | 13–17 | 12 | 30–26 |
| California | 12–18 | 13 | 29–25 |
| Pittsburgh | 11–19 | 14 | 30–23 |
| Clemson | 10–20 | 15 | 31–25 |
| Duke | 10–20 | 15 | 24–29 |
Thursday-Saturday series
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh — Pitt, 6–3; ND, 6–4; ND, 21–10 (7)
Virginia at Louisville — Va., 8–3; UL, 12–2; UL, 10–5
Miami at No. 11 Florida State — FSU, 7–6 (11); FSU, 11–1; Miami, 7–4
Wake Forest at Duke — WF, 7–2; WF, 7–2; Duke, 7–3
Clemson at Virginia Tech — VT, 5–1; VT, 2–1; Clemson, 10–7
No. 3 Georgia Tech at No. 23 Boston College — GT swept 9–0, 14–1, 15–2 (7)
No. 2 North Carolina at N.C. State — UNC, 9–4; UNC, 17–7 (8); State, 7–2
Stanford at California — Stanford, 7–6; Cal, 4–3; Cal, 2–1
End of regular season
ACC tournament
Tuesday through May 24
Truist Field in Charlotte
| 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. 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 | 7:06 p.m. | No. 18 Ole Miss | ESPN |
| 14 | Sunday | 2:06 p.m. (with loss) or 7:06 p.m. (with win) | Troy or West Virginia | ESPN |
Photos by Smith Hardy
