The No. 19 North Carolina baseball team (23-7, 7-7 ACC) fell to Duke (21-11, 8-6 ACC), 9-5, in game two of a three-game series on Friday night at Boshamer Stadium.
After starting the season on a 13-game win streak, the Tar Heels are 10-8 since. Duke outhit UNC, 12-6, on Friday.
“This is the best offense we have faced the entire season top-to-bottom,” head coach Scott Forbes said. “They showed tonight that if you don’t make pitches, they’re going to make you pay.”
The Tar Heels struck first. After a homer last night, senior second baseman Jackson Van De Brake picked up where he left off with a two-out, two-RBI double to deep left in the bottom of the first.
Duke answered back against UNC starter sophomore righty Jason DeCaro and tied the game in the second. DeCaro allowed three straight singles to begin the frame. Macon Winslow and Ben Rounds drove in runs for the Blue Devils.
Sophomore third baseman Gavin Gallaher gave UNC the lead back in the bottom of the second with a solo home run. But that lead would be short lived.
The Blue Devils scored the next five runs. Tyler Albright and Winslow both recorded RBI singles in the third. Andrew Yu homered to start the fourth to chase DeCaro. He allowed five runs on seven hits in three-plus innings of work.
“He just could not throw an offspeed pitch to neutralize the count,” Forbes said. “So he had to go to his fastball, and he didn’t locate his fastball. When he has struggled, it’s been command of the off-speed the most.”
Rounds drove in another run with a double off sophomore lefty Folger Boaz in the fifth. Boaz only got two outs before sophomore right-hander Olin Johnson came on with bases loaded. He walked Wallace Clark to force in another run.
