No. 8 North Carolina (32-10, 14-9 ACC) fell to Pittsburgh (20-20, 6-14 ACC), 4-2, on Saturday afternoon, evening the three game series at Charles L. Cost Field.
Graduate right-handed pitcher Aidan Haugh began on the mound for the visiting Tar Heels. Entering his eleventh start, Haugh sat with a 3.06 earned run average.
After seven homers and 15 runs yesterday, the UNC offense jumped out to a sloppy start in game two. Through three innings, North Carolina tallied two singles in separate innings but failed to produce a scoring opportunity.
The Panthers, on the other hand, singled three times in the first, plating one run. In the second, they threatened again with two runners on and one out, but a double play ended the inning. Haugh, who got off to a bumpy start, retired the Pittsburgh batters in order in the third. The Tar Heels trailed 1-0.
The offensive woes continued for UNC in the fourth, as the heart of the lineup failed to produce a baserunner. The Panthers hit a two-out single, but junior center fielder Kane Kepley tracked down a deep fly ball to hold the margin to one.
In the fifth, graduate right fielder Tyson Bass reached on a walk in hopes to spark the North Carolina offense. Just three pitches later, a ground ball double play ended the inning as the Tar Heels remained scoreless. Pittsburgh took advantage of the missed opportunity, using three singles and a UNC error to plate two more runs. North Carolina faced serious trouble with the bases loaded and one out, but Haugh worked out of the inning using a double play. Still, the damage was done, and the Tar Heels trailed 3-0.
Panther starting pitcher Ryan Reed continued to dominate UNC hitters through the sixth. For the second frame today, North Carolina failed to reach a base runner. In the bottom half, a solo home run and hit batter ended Haugh’s day on the mound. Sophomore righty Olin Johnson came on in relief and escaped the inning.
Sophomore third baseman Gavin Gallaher finally broke the drought for the Tar Heels, hitting a solo home run with two outs in the seventh, his fourth blast in two days. Pittsburgh was unable to add to its margin, leading 4-1.
Bass narrrowed the deficit further with a leadoff solo home run in the eighth, and the Panthers turned to the bullpen. Three consecutive strikeouts following the pitcher change silenced a potential rally from UNC, and North Carolina trailed by two runs heading into the final frame.
