Five-run seventh inning leads No. 6 Diamond Heels past Kansas State

Tyson Bass stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the seventh inning, down to his last strike.

With the game tied 6-6, two outs and the bases loaded, all eyes were on the graduate right fielder. Bass had a chance to deliver his first clutch moment for the Diamond Heels. 

The pitch came. Ding. The sound of the bat connecting with the ball echoed as Bass drilled a hard ground ball just out of the reach of the Kansas State shortstop, scoring graduate first baseman Hunter Stokely and sophomore third baseman Gavin Gallaher to give North Carolina an 8-6 lead. 

“I just want him to hit the ball hard on the barrel and that was a big hit for us,” head coach Scott Forbes said. 

Sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson followed, blistering the third pitch he saw in between Kansas State’s first and second basemen. The single drove in Bass and junior center fielder Kane Kepley, giving UNC two more runs and extending the lead to four. 

In No. 6 North Carolina's 12-9 win over Kansas State at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday night, Stevenson and Bass' hits in the seventh inning contributed to four of five runs, leading the Diamond Heels to a comeback victory. Clutch at-bats characterized the night for UNC after finding itself in multiple deficits throughout the game — a position it was only in once in the season-opening sweep of Texas Tech last weekend. 

Even though the nine runs allowed were more than the six runs North Carolina gave up in their first three matchups against Texas Tech, it didn't matter. 

Despite being down multiple times, UNC responded each time with timely hits.

No one had a more clutch hit than Bass, who made his fourth start in his Diamond Heels career after transferring from North Carolina Wesleyan University, a Division III program. 

Prior to his seventh inning heroics, Bass had just two hits in 13 plate appearances. Regardless, Bass capitalized on his opportunity.  

His calm approach at the plate has transitioned effectively to Division I baseball, culminating in the two-run single that gave UNC the lead.

“He looks like he’s on tranquilizers when he stands in there — half the time the bat comes out of his hand,” Forbes said. “But man, he is so talented. No moment’s too big. He’s very confident and he hits the ball really hard.” 

There is not a bigger moment than having the bases loaded with two outs and two strikes.

And on that stage, Bass delivered to help North Carolina remain undefeated. It's one that his teammates know he is ready for.

“He’s an unbelievable hitter,” Stevenson said. “He got a pitch that he could handle."

Stevenson had zero RBIs in the three-game series against Texas Tech. That trend continued in his first three at-bats Tuesday night. But in Stevenson’s final two plate appearances against the Wildcats, he tallied three RBIs. 

While the Tar Heels still have not hit a home run this season, the contact hitting is proving to be effective. And there was no better time for contact than the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded. 

When North Carolina needed crunch time hits, both Bass and Stevenson delivered. 

“I think everybody’s kind of just ready for the moment,” graduate shortstop Alex Madera said. “They step up in a big spot and everybody expects them to succeed and everybody’s pulling for them. So I think they are just you know ready for the moment.” 

North Carolina managed to mount multiple comebacks and pull away thanks to the timeliness of the five-run offensive onslaught. 

And although the Diamond Heels have a new-look roster, the magic from 2024 might still be in the air.

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