UNC baseball beats VCU, 19-8, to advance to regional final, where they’ll meet again
The University of North Carolina baseball team, facing elimination for the second time Sunday, came alive at the plate, throttling VCU 19-8 while scoring more runs in one game than it had in any game this season.
And, the Tar Heels will get their coach back Monday.
UNC coach Scott Forbes had to watch on TV Sunday while his team clung to its NCAA tournament chances, first against Georgia and then against VCU, which had knocked the Heels into the loser’s bracket a day earlier. In the aftermath of that game, Forbes was assessed a two-game suspension for extensively arguing a call on Saturday. Assistant head coach Bryant Gaines led the Heels in their wins on Sunday, while Forbes’ jersey hung in the dugout.
Forbes posted a statement on Instagram shortly after the UNC win.
“I hated not being allowed to be at The Bosh today,” Forbes wrote. “But the way our team competed and our crowd supported us was awesome! I am so proud to be a Tar Heel and to lead Tar Heels, and I can’t wait to be back in the dugout tomorrow as we play for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals! Go Heels!”
Gaines was impressed by the way the team bounced back, less than 90 minutes after eliminating Georgia and a slow start to the second game.
“I just couldn’t more proud to be the coach of these guys,” Gaines said. “How hard they fought, especially after we got punched in the mouth a little bit. We punched back, then they punched us and we just keep on punching.”
VCU (42-19) arrived in Chapel Hill as one of the hottest teams in the country, and went 2-0 through a pair of games in the regional before running into a UNC team looking to prove a point Sunday. The Tar Heels cooled the Rams off, snapping their 17-game win streak, the second-longest streak in the nation, which included a 4-3 win over UNC on Saturday.
And VCU jumped up 2-0 early Sunday, when Tyler Locklear hit a two-run home run in the top of the first. The homer set the VCU single-season record at 20. It was a good moment for the Rams, but nothing close to what the Tar Heels had in store.
UNC (41-20) put on a show in the bottom of the first, scoring seven runs, including two home runs. Danny Serretti drove in the first two runs of the night for the Tar Heels with a double. That set the stage for Vance Honeycutt.
The ACC tournament MVP hit a two-run shot to right center, tying the UNC single-season record (24). Carolina wasn’t done. Johnny Castagnozzi hit a three-run home run, giving the Tar Heels a 7-2 lead.
After getting just eight hits against VCU Saturday night, UNC has six after one inning of play on Sunday.
“We knew that the guy (Maddison Furman) was going to come at us,” Honeycutt said. “He was going to throw some strikes, just being competitive. We were able to find some barrels and good things happened.”
In the bottom of the second, Alberto Osuna hit a two-run home run, his first since May 20, putting Carolina ahead 9-5. It was the 20th home run of the season for Osuna, marking the first time in school history that two players had 20 home runs in the same season. After using seven pitchers in the first game against Georgia, the Heels burned four arms in game two. Three of the four pitched against the Bulldogs. Caden O’Brien (4.0 innings pitched, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 strikeouts) got the win.
“He stepped up and gave us that length we needed, which was huge for us,” Gaines said about O’Brien’s performance. “We really, really needed it there.”
The top of the third was the best inning for the Rams, who put up three runs to make it a two-run game, but Carolina would not be denied at home.
“I have no problem with what we did offensively,” VCU coach Shawn Stiffler said. “We gave up four (runs) before we ever got an out. It just wasn’t the matchup for Maddison. They had a really good approach to him. We showed a little bit of panic in the middle of the game from an at-bat standpoint. They played well, but I’m not discouraged with the way we competed.”
After a two-run third inning, UNC took advantage of VCU mistakes in the fifth, putting five more runs on the board, all unearned. Carolina finished the game with 17 hits. The Tar Heels have had 10 hits or more in five of their past eight games. They have gone 7-1 over that span.
The Rams’ last loss before Sunday also came at the hands of an ACC school — UVA on May 4. VCU handled Georgia with ease, 8-1, in the opening game of the Chapel Hill regional. After shutting the door on a UNC rally on Saturday, the Rams were one game away from leaving the Chapel Hill regional undefeated. They ran into a hot Carolina team that improved to 32-8 at Boshamer Stadium. Now Forbes will return as a “folk hero” Stiffler joked, giving more life to the Heels.
Late in the game, fans started a “Scott Forbes” chant in the stands.
“It was pretty cool,” Honeycutt said. “Just shows the support Coach Forbes has. A lot of people have his back.”
The last time VCU dropped two games in a row was April 24 and 26, falling to Saint Joseph’s and William & Mary. UNC also hasn’t dropped consecutive games since they were swept 3-0 by Virginia, also in April. The 19 runs by the Tar Heels were the most the Rams have given up all year. It was the most runs UNC has scored in a regional game since 19 against Houston in 2018.
Carolina improves its all-time record to 6-2 against VCU. The Rams are looking for their first trip to the Super Regional round for the first time since 2015.
This story was originally published June 5, 2022 at 9:43 PM.
