UNC Baseball runs away in ACC Quarterfinals 10-4

Jake Schaffner had four RBI with a double and triple, Owen Hull added three RBI, and ACC Freshman of the Year Caden Glauber helped shut down Virginia Tech with 5 2/3 innings of relief as the UNC Diamond Heels defeated the Hokies 10-4 Friday in Charlotte. They advance to the ACC Baseball Semifinals on Saturday. The final score hides what was a close game.

The 5 2/3 of relief innings were needed when usual Friday starter Jason DeCaro struggled — giving up six hits, three earned runs, and two walks. Those three runs were the result of two homers hit back-to-back in the top of the third inning, after a first inning that saw DeCaro walk two batters but escape without any harm. Hokie starter Griffin Stieg had to do some battling of his own, also walking two UNC batters including an amazing 14-pitch at bat by Gavin Gallaher.

Stieg recovered to get the next three out without surrendering a run, but he wasn’t quite as fortunate in the second as Schaffner got his double with two out and two on, giving Carolina the early 2-0 lead. What had been a home run party the first couple of days of the ACC Tournament was more muted on Friday as cooler weather moved into the city, and several balls that would have been homers earlier in the week didn’t have the strength to get out on Friday. This was the case until the third, when DeCaro gave up the back-to-back shots that saw the Hokies claim a 3-2 lead.

DeCaro would get out of that inning without any further damage, but when he gave up a single to Sam Grube in the next inning, Scott Forbes made the call to Glauber. He would strike out the next two batters to end the momentum. The bottom of the fourth is where Carolina would take the lead and control of the game.