UNC baseball edges Campbell, 4-2, thanks to strong bullpen outing

On Tuesday evening, the No. 15 North Carolina baseball team defeated Campbell, 4-2, as the Tar Heels extended their winning streak to three games. 

What happened?

There were a surplus of errors and mistakes for both teams on the field. Between UNC (19-7, 4-5 ACC) and Campbell (14-10, 5-1 Big South), there were four errors, five batters hit by pitches and 24 runners stranded on base. 

Early on, it was clear that the winning team was going to be whichever group could finish plays and string together some solid innings on the mound. 

Both teams traded blows in the first three innings with Campbell scoring the first run of the game, and North Carolina putting up two runs in the bottom of the first and the bottom of the third. Junior center fielder Dylan Harris, first-year designated hitter Aaron Sabato and junior shortstop Ike Freeman all scored runs for UNC.

From then on, the pitching took over. Junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Grogan of the Tar Heels and redshirt sophomore right-hander Logan Heintzman of the Fighting Camels were locked in a battle to see who would give up a run first for the next few innings.

In the top of the seventh, Campbell was able to put another run on the board due to a bases-loaded walk, but the final push wasn’t strong enough for the team to come away with the win. 

Sophomore right-hander Ben Casparius pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to pick up the save for UNC.

Who stood out?

First-year Danny Serretti contributed to almost every aspect of the UNC offense. Serretti went 2-4 with three runs batted in for the Tar Heels, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that he has gotten at least one hit.

After the game, Serretti spoke on how he’s been able to make an immediate impact on the team in his first season.

“It’s always great when you can help the team,” Serretti said. “I just try to do my part every day and help the team win.”

Grogan pitched 3.1 innings in relief and struck out five batters to pick up the victory.

When was it decided?

It wasn’t until the top of ninth with Casparius on the mound for North Carolina that UNC fans could finally let out a sigh of relief. Fox shared his thoughts on how close the game was.

“We were extremely lucky to win,” Fox said. “We had opportunities to score a fifth run and a sixth run, which is huge in a four-run game. I was a little disappointed we didn’t put ourselves in position to score some more runs.”

Why does it matter?

North Carolina has had some struggles in conference games so far this season. A hard-fought win like this one can serve as a confidence booster heading into the series against Duke this weekend. Fox commented on his team’s mindset heading into the series.

“It’ll be a battle this weekend,” Fox said. “We have to be a little bit better defensively and that’s going to be the key going forward.”

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels resume ACC play with a three-game set against Duke starting at 6 p.m. on Friday at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill.

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com