No. 6 UNC baseball defeats East Carolina, 2-0, in opening game of series

DURHAM — Fueled by a second-straight shutout performance from ace Jason DeCaro, the No. 6 North Carolina baseball team (5-0) knocked off East Carolina (2-3), 2-0, in game one of a three-game series Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

In two starts this season, the sophomore right-hander has not allowed a run over 10 and a third innings. He threw 92 pitches on Saturday, allowing four hits and striking out four, and executed in pressure situations. 

“It’s fun to play in games like this, it’s why you come here,” DeCaro said. “The mindset going in was just go right after them and have confidence in the guys behind you.”

For UNC, the pitching staff escaped from jams, and the offense did just enough to secure the victory. The Pirates left 10 runners on base.

DeCaro pitched out of trouble in the bottom of the second inning. Kenan Bowman blooped a double down the right-field line with one out. Michael Kalinich hit a hard ground ball up the middle off of DeCaro, who fielded and tossed to first. DeCaro then struck out Alex Bouche on a good breaking ball to end the inning.

In the top of the third with two outs, junior center fielder Kane Kepley doubled and graduate right fielder Tyson Bass worked a walk. Sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson couldn’t find the clutch hit for the game’s first run. He struck out looking.

The Tar Heels did score first in the top of the fifth. Sophomore third baseman Gavin Gallaher led off with a single and graduate first baseman Hunter Stokely doubled down the right-field line. Kepley drove in Gallaher with a ground ball to first. 

With two outs in the frame, right-hander Ethan Young relieved ECU starter southpaw Ethan Norby, who struck out six over four and two thirds innings. Bass was the first to face the new pitcher and greeted Young with an RBI infield single. 

After back-to-back hits and a walk with two outs, DeCaro found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth. But he escaped unscathed. Jack Herring flew out to left field on a 3-1 pitch to end the inning. 

“Try and slow your heartbeat down and try to slow yourself down,” DeCaro said. “I feel like you can get caught up in it if you go along with the game and go along with the crowd. But if you’re able to slow it down, you’ll be alright.”

DeCaro exited with one out in the bottom of the sixth. First-year right-hander Ryan Lynch came on but struggled with command. He only got one out before head coach Scott Forbes went to his best bullet in the pen, junior righty Matthew Matthijs, with two outs and runners on the corners. Matthijs struck out Bouche to end the threat. 

The Pirates loaded the bases again with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning with a single, a walk and a hit by pitch off Matthijs. Forbes went to first-year righty Walker McDuffie, who struck out Colby Wallace to strand the runners.

McDuffie stayed on to pitch the eighth and ninth innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out three to earn the save.

“He’s always had that it factor,” Forbes said. “Ton of strikes. As I call it back when I was a pitching coach, his slider’s the old boomerang slider. It’s one of those that just takes off on you. Now he’s throwing harder. Ultra competitive. That’s the thing I like about our pitching staff — I think we can throw different looks at you.”

Game two of the series is tomorrow at Boshamer Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

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