No. 19 UNC baseball takes series against Duke with 8-7 win in 14 innings on Saturday

The No. 19 UNC baseball team (24-8, 8-7 ACC) walked off Duke (21-12, 8-7 ACC) in a 14-inning marathon, 8-7,  to win the three-game series Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.

The game was back and forth, with Duke rallying to force extra innings. Graduate shortstop Alex Madera hit a ground ball to second in the bottom of the 14th that took a wicked hop and found green grass to plate the winning run.

The 14 innings ties the longest game between UNC and Duke in history, the first coming in 1964.

“That’s super long,” first-year right-hander Camron Seagraves said. “Our guys fought through it and kept playing hard the whole time. I knew we would score at some point.”

The Tar Heels took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore catcher Luke Stevenson hit a bullet 105 MPH off the bat and over the left-field wall for a two-run homer.

Duke tied the game in the next frame, as AJ Gracia took UNC starter junior righty Aidan Haugh deep to right for a two-run shot. The Tar Heels manufactured a run in the bottom of the second to take the lead back. After singles from graduate right fielder Tyson Bass and Madera, sophomore catcher Macaddin Dye drove in Bass with a sacrifice fly. 

The Blue Devils plated two runs in the fourth to jump in front with the help of two UNC errors by Van De Brake and Madera. Haugh limited the damage and stranded two. 

Haugh didn’t have his best stuff but fought through five innings allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits. He threw 105 pitches, striking out four and walking four.

Graduate first baseman Hunter Stokely doubled down the right-field line to start the bottom of the sixth inning. Graduate right fielder Tyson Bass then walked, and that was the end for Duke starter Henry Zatkowski. Bass scored on a Madera single, and first-year left fielder Perry Hargett dashed home on a wild pitch after reaching on a fielder’s choice. UNC led, 5-4.

First-year righty reliever Walker McDuffie pitched two and two thirds scoreless innings of relief behind Haugh. The Tar Heels added two insurance runs in the eighth. One scored on an error, the other a Van De Brake single. 

But Duke rallied down three in the ninth. First-year right-hander Ryan Lynch walked the first two batters in the inning and was then lifted for first-year righty Camron Seagraves. The first three Duke batters to face Seagraves all singled, plating a pair of runs. Ben Miller scored on a fielder’s choice to tie the game. The inning could have been much worse if it wasn’t for a Duke base running mistake and 4-6-3 double play.

Seagraves stayed on and pitched a 1-2-3 10th and a 1-2-3 11th. UNC threatened in the bottom of the 10th, but Van De Brake struck out to end the inning with the winning run at third.

Graduate lefty Tom Chmielewski worked out of trouble in the 12th inning, stranding two in scoring position. Graduate right-hander Cale Bolton came on and stranded two runners in the 13th.

Stokely left the game-winning run at third in the bottom of the 13th. Sophomore lefty Folger Boaz came on for Bolton with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 14th. He induced a ground ball to first to end the inning.

“To put up that many zeros against that lineup was impressive,” head coach Scott Forbes said. “The dugout was in every pitch. Our guys were supporting one another. We used a ton of guys.”

Bass walked to start the bottom of the 14th. Hargett executed a perfect sacrifice bunt. And then Madera was the hero.

UNC travels to Elon for a midweek game on Tuesday before returning home next weekend for a series against Wake Forest.

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