UNC baseball fights through pitching struggles in win over South Carolina

CHARLOTTE — Luke Stevenson knew it as soon as the ball left his bat.

He took an extra moment in the box to watch it fly, staring up at the bright Queen City skyline.

“My emotions take over,” Stevenson said. “But I was just trying to advance the baseball.”

The sophomore catcher advanced it 411 feet over the left centerfield wall and into the netting that protects motorists on Mint Street. 

No. 21 North Carolina defeated South Carolina, 13-8, behind Stevenson’s moonshot as part of a five-run eighth inning on Tuesday night at Truist Field. The two-run blast gave the Tar Heels the lead for good in what had been a back and forth contest. It was a resilient team victory, one in which UNC had to rely on its depth. 

“We always talk about just picking each other up,” Stevenson said. 

UNC's starter, junior righty Cameron Padgett, failed to record an out. He surrendered back-to-back solo shots to start his outing, followed by a double.

Head coach Scott Forbes ambled out to the mound and called on first-year right-hander Walker McDuffie to prevent the game from getting out of hand before it really even began.

McDuffie walked his first batter. The fire was spreading. But then he struck out three Gamecocks in a row, relying on his wipeout slider.

“Limiting that damage,” Forbes said. “If they have six or seven runs, we’re in trouble.”

Graduate right fielder Tyson Bass got the Tar Heels on the board with a solo homer in the top of the second inning. McDuffie allowed a run in the bottom, but UNC responded right back in the top of the third. 

Stevenson hit his first home run of the game — this one over the netting and onto Mint Street — 438 feet and 110 MPH off the bat. With two outs and the bases loaded, Bass rocketed a line drive up the middle, plating two and giving the Tar Heels their first lead.

“They threw some punches,” Stevenson said. "We threw some punches."

Sophomore right-handed reliever Olin Johnson came on in the third and calmed the game down for the Tar Heels. He hung three zeros in a row without allowing a hit. 

Johnson started against VCU in late February, allowing four runs over 2 1/3 innings. Since then, he has moved to the bullpen and provided Forbes with a reliable option. Johnson has allowed only one run in his last 8 1/3 innings of work.

“I think it’s a good role for him,” Stevenson said. “He’s got unbelievable stuff. He’s just a competitor, and that’s what you need out of the bullpen. You need guys that go in, and it’s me versus you, and he’s gonna compete every single pitch. That’s what he did.”

Johnson was lifted from the game in the bottom of the sixth after walking the leadoff man in a 12-pitch at bat. Junior righty Matthew Matthijs relieved him and inherited an 8-3 lead. He, like Padgett, did not record an out, allowing a single, a walk and a double. 

Forbes again went out to the mound. First-year righty Ryan Lynch entered the fray and retired the first three batters he faced. Limiting the damage.

“If we can have a bullpen that’s strong enough to come in and pick up the other guy behind them, and if we can continue to do that like we did today, we’re gonna be in a good spot,” Stevenson said.

South Carolina tied the game against Lynch in the bottom of the seventh. Again, the Tar Heels punched right back. Stevenson delivered in a big moment, and Bass hit another RBI single. They both drove in four runs in the game.

In a game that could have gotten away early or slipped away late, the UNC bullpen and lineup stayed in the ring and kept fighting.

“This is a true team,” Forbes said. “They’re together.”

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