North Carolina baseball routs Pitt to advance to ACC title game

North Carolina belted six home runs and pounded out a season-high 22 hits to rout Pitt 13–5 on Saturday at Truist Park in Charlotte, sending the Tar Heels to the ACC Tournament championship game. Rom Kellis V homered twice and drove in five runs, while shortstop Jake Schaffner went 4-for-6 with a double and a triple as North Carolina (45-10-1) never trailed after a three-run first inning. Gavin Gallaher, Colin Hynek, Cooper Nicholson and Erik Paulsen also went deep for the Tar Heels, who will face top-seeded Georgia Tech in Sunday’s title game at noon ET on ESPN2.

Reliever Walker McDuffie (7-2) earned the win for North Carolina, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. Starter Ryan Lynch gave up three earned runs on nine hits in three innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. Pitt starter Antonio Doganiero (6-5) lasted just one inning, tagged for five runs — three earned — on five hits with one strikeout.

The Panthers struck first in the top of the first when Trey Fenderson’s infield single plated Caden Dulin for a 1–0 lead, and Carter Dierdorf followed with an RBI single to right to make it 2–0. North Carolina answered in the bottom half. After Schaffner reached, Gallaher launched a two-run homer to right to tie it 2–2.

Later in the inning, Nicholson singled down the left-field line to score Macon Winslow and give the Tar Heels a 3–2 edge. UNC stretched its lead in the second. Kellis belted a two-run homer to right, scoring Paulsen to make it 5–2.