UNC sinks Boston College with late offensive flurry, advances to ACC semifinals
The clock struck midnight several innings early on Boston College’s Cinderella run, courtesy of a seventh inning Tar Heel rally.
No. 3 seed UNC defeated No. 14 seed Boston College, 7-2, in Friday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal nightcap. It advances to face No. 2 seed Florida State at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Boston College (28-29) jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. The Eagles strung together a trio of hits, including a double off the wall from Patrick Roche.
“It’s good for you to be down like that, to test ourselves a little bit as a team,” Carolina head coach Scott Forbes said. “They definitely passed the test.”
UNC, meanwhile, needed some time to find home plate. When it did, the Tar Heels made a statement.
Carolina (40-12) loaded the bases on three straight walks. Then, after struggling all night with timely hits, second baseman Jackson Van De Brake hit an RBI double to tie the game. Center fielder Kane Kepley scored on a wild pitch to take the lead.
The Tar Heels recorded three hits and picked up five free passes — including multiple walks, hit batter and error — to score five.
In the subsequent inning, catcher Luke Stevenson added insurance when he launched a two-run homer to center field.
“We knew that we were a swing away, an at-bat away,” Stevenson said. “We we got the bases loaded, and once we had it again, we knew that we had a good chance.”
Carolina had opportunities to score in the bottom of the fifth, but timely hits came at a premium early in the game.
Left fielder Carter French and Kepley knocked in a pair of two-out base hits, which appeared to give the Tar Heels life. Van De Brake drew a walk to load the bases.
Stevenson, on a 3-2 count, struck out looking. Boston College pitcher AJ Colarusso lifted his jersey and pounded his chest after retiring the side and getting out of a bases-loaded jam.
“I told them, ‘You know they’re going to play well. We’re going to have our hands full,’” Forbes said. “When a team is getting hot and they know they have to win the tournament, you know that they’re going to leave everything they have on the field.”
Boston College coach Todd Interdonato said it would take a “monumental effort” to defeat the Tar Heels, and the team nearly had it.
UNC saw 125 pitches before it rounded home and left nine batters on base. It finished 5 of 16 (.313) with runners on base and 3 of 11 (.273) with players in scoring position.
Prior to the seventh, the Tar Heels were 1 for 9 (.111) with runners on and 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
The pitching staff kept Carolina alive through the offensive struggles.
ACC Pitcher of the Year Jake Knapp got the start for the Tar Heels. He entered the game with an 11-0 record. His squad was 14-0 when making an appearance. Add one number to both records. Knapp threw seven innings, allowing five hits and a pair of runs, while striking out four. His impressive outing, which included 10 straight retired, kept the Eagles at bay.
Walker McDuffie entered the game in the top of the eighth. He closed the game with six outs. The Tar Heel pitchers sat down 16 straight Eagles.
“This group is going to play 27 outs. They’ve done it all season,” Forbes said. “I just reminded them, this time of year, you can’t be scoreboard watching. You just have to play, and they definitely did that.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 10:44 PM.
