UNC and NC State baseball draw positives from a Tar Heels’ win over the Wolfpack
North Carolina’s 9-6 victory Friday night over N.C. State in the final game of ACC baseball tournament pool play was a college version of a T-ball awards ceremony, where both teams get something they wanted.
For N.C. State (29-16), it was a chance to keep the hitters sharp in advance of Saturday’s tournament semifinals at Truist Field in uptown Charlotte.
For North Carolina (27-25), it was a signature victory over a nationally ranked opponent — a valuable commodity for a team that earlier this week was appearing on “last-five-in” lists for the NCAA baseball tournament.
The third-seeded Wolfpack will be back at Truist Field on Saturday. They’ll face second seed Georgia Tech at 5 p.m. Ninth-seeded Duke faces eighth seed Virginia in the semifinal opener at 1 p.m.
Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent went with his starters in the field, but used reserves on the mound.
“We’d like to keep our hitters sharp for the weekend,” Avent said before the game.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, thought the victory should end any debate over whether their name will be called at noon Monday when the NCAA announces its tournament field.
“One of the players asked me before the game, ‘Do we have to beat State to get in?’ ” Tar Heel coach Scott Forbes said. “I answered, ‘Yeah,’ even thought deep in my heart I felt we were in.”
Regardless, Forbes said his team deserves the NCAA berth.
“We got a win that I think we needed,” he said. “I think it puts us where we need to be for the postseason.”
Tar Heel third baseman Mac Horvath, who hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, said he and his teammates knew a victory Friday night would be important for the NCAA bid.
“I think it was in the back of our heads,” he said. “We knew that a win would help us make the field of 64.”
The big plays
The Tar Heels scored six times in the top of the first inning, and the Wolfpack played catch-up from there.
Horvath’s grand slam was the big blow. Shortstop Danny Serretti had four hits and scored twice, and Caleb Edwards scored three runs. Starter Austin Love got the victory, going 5.2 innings and allowing eight hits and four runs.
The Wolfpack made it interesting in the eighth inning scoring twice and putting two runners in scoring position. But reliever Caden O’Brien shut the door on the Wolfpack, striking out four in 1.2 innings.
Austin Murr and Tyler McDonough each had three hits for N.C. State.
Just noting
▪ The announced attendance of 7,291 was by far the biggest so far for the tournament. In fact, it was the biggest crowd at Truist Field since August 2019. The stadium’s main tenant, the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, opened the season with limited attendance due to COVID-19 protocols. Capacity at the stadium is 10,200.
▪ Wolfpack reliever John Miralia did well before his hometown crowd. Miralia pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit. He is a Providence Day School product.
▪ N.C. State swept a three-game series from North Carolina during the regular season.
▪ Mac Horvath’s grand slam was the first for a Tar Heel since April 2019. Ditto for his six RBI.
▪ The Wolfpack outhit the Tar Heels 13-10. Prior to Friday, N.C. State was 23-4 this season when it outhit an opponent.
▪ Notre Dame’s all-ACC pitcher, John Bertrand, had allowed only four home runs in 74.2 innings, prior to Friday. He gave up three homers in the second inning to Virginia, in the Fighting Irish’s 14-1 loss in Friday’s opening game.
Friday’s other games
Virginia 14, Notre Dame 1: The eighth-seeded Cavaliers (29-22) pummeled the top-seeded Fighting Irish (30-11) and moved into Saturday’s semifinals. Virginia had hit 30 home runs in 50 games, prior to Friday, but the Cavaliers slammed four homers against Notre Dame.
Nic Kent and Alex Tappen hit two-run homers in the second inning, and teammate Jake Gelof added a solo shot. The Cavs added one run in the fourth, three in the fifth, and five more in the ninth.
Notre Dame’s John Bertrand, an all-ACC pitcher, lasted only one inning and gave up five runs.
Florida State 6, Miami 3: The Seminoles (30-22) reached the 30-victory mark, jumping to a 3-0 first-inning lead and holding on for a victory over their rivals. Miami fell to 32-19.
Florida State starter Parker Messick worked five innings, scattering five hits, and a quartet of Seminole relievers finished. Messick was lifted following a one-hour-plus rain delay in the middle of the fifth inning.
Pool standings
Pool A: Virginia 2-0; Notre Dame 1-1; Virginia Tech 0-2.
Pool B: Georgia Tech 1-1; Louisville 1-1; Clemson 1-1 (Georgia Tech advances as highest seed).
Pool C: N.C. State 1-1; Pitt 1-1; North Carolina 1-1 (N.C. State advances as highest seed).
Pool D: Duke 2-0; Florida State 1-1; Miami 0-2.
Remaining schedule
Saturday (semifinals): Notre Dame vs. Duke, 1; N.C. State vs. Georgia Tech, 5.
Sunday (finals): Semifinal winners meet, noon.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 8:02 AM with the headline "UNC and NC State baseball draw positives from a Tar Heels’ win over the Wolfpack."