UNC baseball shuts out Duke, wins first game of series, 1-0

Led by pitcher Tyler Baum, the No. 15 North Carolina baseball team (20-7, 5-5) beat Duke (14-12, 3-7), 1-0, on Friday night, to win its fourth consecutive game.

What happened?

On a sunny day at Boshamer Stadium, the Tar Heels took on Duke in the first game of a three-game series.  

On the mound for the Tar Heels was Baum, a right-handed junior.  He was able to quiet the Blue Devils through out, starting out by recording a one-two-three inning in the top of the first.  

Throughout the game, both starting pitchers battled.  Both teams combined for just five hits throughout the entire contest, three for UNC and two for Duke.

North Carolina recorded its first hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning, but were unable to capitalize.  While Duke recorded their only two hits of the game in the top of the fifth inning. 

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning.  With one out in the inning, Aaron Sabato struck out, but was able to advance to first base after the pitch got away from the Duke catcher.

Next up was Ashton McGee, who hit the ball over the head of the Blue Devil shortstop for a single.  With two men on base, Brandon Martorano earned a walk to load the bases.  

In the next at bat, centerfielder Dylan Harris hit a fly ball to center field, deep enough for Enwiller to score.  Harris’ sacrifice fly gave the Tar Heels a precious 1-0 lead.

After the Tar Heels scored, Duke was unable to respond.  North Carolina held Duke to only two hits throughout the contest and were able to win.  

Who stood out?

On the mound, Baum was able to limit Duke at the plate from the start, keeping the Blue Devils hitless until the fifth inning.  

Baum pitched 8.2 innings and threw 116 pitches, a season high, and gave up just two hits while recording six strikeouts. His performance was the longest outing by a Tar Heel pitcher this season.

When was it decided?

The game was decided after the bottom of the seventh inning when North Carolina was able to load the bases for Harris, who hit the ball to centerfield and to bat in Enwiller. With two outs in the ninth inning, Austin Love came into the game and struck out Duke’s Michael Rothenberg, securing the win for the Tar Heels.   

Why does it matter?

With the win, the Tar Heels improved their season record to 20-7 and increased their winning streak to four games. Stellar pitching by Baum was the story, who had a remarkable outing to propel his team to victory.  

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will play the second game of three against Duke on Saturday at 3 p.m.

@TorreNetkovick

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com