DURHAM, N.C. (ECU ATHLETICS) – In what has become one of the premier early-season weekend series of the college baseball season, East Carolina and No. 6 North Carolina did not disappoint the 6,695 gathered at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park Saturday afternoon as the Tar Heels edged the Pirates 2-0 to open the three-game set.
ECU (2-3) out-hit UNC (5-0) by a 6-5 margin but the Tar Heels were able to scratch across both of their runs in the top of the fifth before holding off the Pirates in the end.
Jason DeCaro (2-0) tossed 5.1 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and two walks to earn his second win of the year. Ethan Norby (0-2) also turned in a solid effort in the setback, allowing two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings.
Kane Kepley and Tyler Bass each registered a hit and RBI for North Carolina’s offense while six different Pirates notched a base knock in the contest.
DeCaro and Norby made quick work of each respective lineup in the early frames before the Tar Heels finally broke through in the fifth. Gavin Gallaher led off the half inning with a single to left before Hunter Stokely laced a one-out double down the right field line that pushed Gallaher to third. An RBI groundout and run-scoring infield single provided what turned out to be the only offense of the day as UNC grabbed a 2-0 advantage.
ECU was able to create traffic as the game wore on, loading the bases in both the fifth and seventh innings, but could not quite push anything across. Walker McDuffie locked down his first save of the season by covering the final 2.1 frames with three strikeouts.
Postgame Notes
- The Pirates and Tar Heels have now each won five of the last 10 meetings in the all-time series.
- The reported attendance of 6,695 eclipsed the 6,288 that saw East Carolina defeat North Carolina 7-4 in last year’s neutral site meeting at Fayetteville’s Segra Stadium.
- ECU’s pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, marking the fourth time this season the unit has reached double figures.
- The Pirates left 10 runners on base and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
- East Carolina’s pitchers now own a collective 3.07 earned run average and are holding opposing hitters to a .156 batting average with 52 strikeouts in 44.0 innings of work.
Up Next: The Pirates and Tar Heels continue the series Sunday at 1 p.m. from Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. The game will stream live via ACC Network Extra.
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