The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

UNC baseball loses Game 1 of final regular season series to NC State, 6-4

The North Carolina baseball team dropped Game 1 of its final regular season series, 6-4, to N.C. State at Doak Field in Raleigh on Thursday night. With the loss, the Tar Heels (33-20, 12-16 ACC) will likely need to win the next two games against the Wolfpack (14-12) to ensure a spot in the ACC Tournament. 

What happened?

UNC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind the play of sophomore shortstop Logan Warmoth, who drove in a run in each of his first two plate appearances. 

The Tar Heels were able to load the bases in both of the first two innings, but could only muster two runs out of it. North Carolina was a dismal 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the night. 

But despite the lack of execution on the offensive end, the Tar Heels maintained the two-run lead for the next three and a half inning behind the pitching of junior Zac Gallen. Through five innings, the right-hander only gave up two hits, both infield singles, and struck out four batters. 

Things fell apart over the next two innings, however, as the Wolfpack got going at the plate. N.C. State plated three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to take a 6-2 lead, one the Tar Heels could not battle back from. 

UNC was able to plate two runners in the top of the ninth, but it couldn't climb out of the hole it dug itself into. 

Who stood out? 

Warmoth was the lone bright spot for North Carolina in the batter's box. He singled in each of his three plate appearances, and accounted for 50 percent of his team's hits and 75 percent of its runs on the night. 

For N.C. State, sophomore shortstop Joe Dunand overcame an 0-for-2 start to lead the Wolfpack to the win. He picked up an RBI-double in both the sixth and seventh innings, helping push the lead farther and farther out of UNC's reach. 

When was it decided?

N.C. State picked up each of its three runs in the bottom of the sixth innings with two outs. With a runner on third, first baseman Preston Palmeiro singled home a run to cut the lead to 2-1. The next batter, Dunand, doubled and scored Palmeiro. 

Then, with runner on second, right fielder Brock Deatherage doubled to score Dunand. Before it could blink, North Carolina was down 3-2 and in danger of letting the game get away. 

It did the very next inning, as the Wolfpack tacked on three more runs to take a 6-2 lead. After picking up just two hits over the first five innings, N.C. State tallied seven hits over the next two innings to put the game away. 

Why does it matter?

Coming into the game, North Carolina was tied for ninth in the ACC standings with Duke at 12-15. Duke defeated Pittsburgh, 2-1, in extra innings Thursday night, giving them a one game lead over the Tar Heels after UNC's loss. 

After the loss, the Tar Heels now sit in 10th in the standings. Only the top-10 teams in the conference advance to next week's ACC Tournament.

Where do they play next?

Game 2 of the series will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. 

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.