By R.L. Bynum
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s offense has shifted into overdrive as the postseason approaches.
The No. 2 Tar Heels batted around in three of the first five innings and hit multiple home runs for the fifth consecutive game in a 17–7 7-inning victory Friday over N.C. State at Doak Field, their 13th run-rule win.
UNC (43–9–1, 22–7 ACC) has won nine consecutive ACC series after losing the first one against Virginia and takes a seven-game win streak into Saturday’s 2 p.m. regular-season finale.
North Carolina’s recent power surge has followed a season in which it was not always labeled as a home run club. But Forbes said the long ball has been more about conditions and intent than a sudden transformation.
“I think we have power,” said Forbes, suggesting that Boshamer Stadium played big all year because of weather conditions. “Our guys have been taking it personally, because that’s what everybody’s been saying, that we don’t have any power.
“We’re shortening our practices to keep them fresher, but when they are in the cages, they’re really intent, and on the field they’re very focused,” said Forbes, who added that his team didn’t give any at-bats away on Friday.
Owen Hull and Macon Winslow typified the ability of UNC to string together good at-bats to accelerate big innings by twice hitting back-to-back RBI doubles. They did it in the five-run second inning and the four-run fourth inning when nine Tar Heels batted in each inning.
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The barrage started with the game’s first pitch, which Jake Schaffner drove 405 feet to right-center field for his sixth homer, but his first since April 10.
Rom Kellis II, in his first start since April 10, pulled a 372-foot drive to left field to lead off the big fourth inning for his second home run of the season and third of his career.
Erik Paulsen highlighted the seven-run fifth inning, the third time UNC batted around, with a grand slam to left field. He said the team’s home-run surge is more about timing and comfort than a sudden change in identity.
“It’s always been there within the team,” he said. “We’re just getting more comfortable in our swings, getting toward the end of the season, and we’re understanding how other teams are pitching us, so it helps us unlock a lot more power.”
Paulsen said the at-bats that fueled the big innings reflected a lineup committed to controlling the strike zone, even when N.C. State briefly climbed back within striking distance.
“Everyone was resilient,” Paulsen said. “They didn’t let the pitcher get in their head or make them chase. Everyone stayed within the approach and stayed on the barrel.”
UNC starter Ryan Lynch consistently got his fastball in the upper-90s, but struggled with his control, giving up eight hits, six runs and four walks with only two strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.
Lynch gave up three singles to start the N.C. State second, but the Pack could plate only one run. He gave up a walk and one more single before striking out Ty Head swinging with the bases loaded to end the inning. Forbes pointed to that sequence as a pivot point, even on a night when Lynch did not have his sharpest command.
“I thought it was the difference in the game. On days that it’s hard, it’s more gratifying. He battled his tail off,” Forbes said. “He still had nasty stuff; he just couldn’t land his off-speed, but he still got us outs.”
Lynch, who pitched around a pair of one-out walks in the third inning, came out in the fourth inning after giving up a bases-loaded, one-out two-run single to Sherman Johnson. After Tom Chmielewski walked his only batter, Caden Glauber gave up an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, and State trimmed its deficit to three.
Glauber (8–0) was solid from then on, pitching 3⅔ one-hit, shutout innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Forbes said he liked the way Glauber settled in during his second straight day of work.
“I thought Globe actually was better [Friday] than he was [Thursday],” Forbes said. “Good to see him settle in. He’s capable of doing that — going back-to-back days.”
Notes
— Junior left-hander Folger Boaz (3–1, 6.41 ERA) starts in the 2 p.m. Saturday series finale (ACC Network Extra), but N.C. State (31–21, 13–16) hasn’t named a starter.
— Carolina is locked into the No. 2 seed in the ACC tournament, and will play in a 3 p.m. Friday quarterfinal game at Charlotte’s Truist Field against either the No. 7, No. 10 or No. 15 seed.
— Hull doubled three times, giving him a team-high 20.
— After six consecutive games with Hull batting No. 2 and Gavin Gallaher at No. 3, they swapped, moving to where they had batted the previous nine games. Forbes said he didn’t want to start the lineup Friday with two left-handed hitters.
— Kellis started in left field. Tyler Howe moved from left to right field to take the place of Carter French, who had started the previous 14 games.
— UNC leads the all-time series, which began in 1940, with N.C. State 176–144–1, including 66–64 in Raleigh.
—Carolina is 13–2 in road ACC games.
No. 2 UNC 17, N.C. State 7 (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 | 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
