The Diamond Heels closed out their regular-season home schedule in style, sweeping the Pittsburgh Panthers in a dominant weekend series at Boshamer Stadium. With the ACC Tournament and NCAA Regionals on the horizon, Carolina is hitting its stride at exactly the right time.
Friday's series opener was all about pitching and power. Starter Jason DeCaro delivered five shutout innings, scattering four hits and a walk while striking out seven. He got early support from the long ball, as Gavin Gallaher, Macon Winslow, and Cooper Nicholson each launched solo home runs in the first, second, and fourth innings, respectively. The bullpen had a hiccup when Walker McDuffie walked three and allowed a run, but Caden Glauber slammed the door with 3.2 scoreless innings. Winslow added a late RBI to seal the win.
Game two was a slugfest that ended early. Pitt struck first with a solo homer in the third, but Carolina answered immediately with three runs, keyed by RBI hits from Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull. The offense never let up. Schaffner drove in another run in the fifth, and after the Panthers scratched across a second run, the Tar Heels poured on eight unanswered runs. Gallaher's sacrifice fly in the eighth made it a 10-run game, triggering the mercy rule and clinching the series.
The sweep was a fitting send-off for the home crowd and a statement that this team is built for a deep postseason run. With the regular season winding down, the Diamond Heels are playing their best baseball when it matters most.
