Sunday, March 10
1 p.m.
North Carolina
14-2, 0
6
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Pittsburgh
8-4, 0
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10
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Pittsburgh
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North Carolina
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11
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Donofrio Delivers A Walk-Off Sweep Against Pitt
March 10, 2024 | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Anthony Donofrio laced a game-winning single into the right field corner in the 10th inning and scored Casey Cook to lift No. 16 North Carolina to a 6-5 win over ACC Coastal Division foe Pitt on Sunday. The win completed the series sweep and extended the Tar Heels' winning streak to nine games.
Cook was hit by a 0-1 pitch to lead off the bottom of the 10th. After Parks Harber popped out, Donofrio pulled a 3-2 fastball down the right field line, where it settled into the corner, and Cook raced around the bases with the game-winning run, easily beating the relay throw home.
"It's hard to [sweep]," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "I told them they would have to play this game at a high level. I challenged them to play with the confidence of winning the first two games but with the attitude of losing the first two and having to find a way to win.
"When you find a way to win that game, it helps you tremendously."
Donofrio finished 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Colby Wilkerson and Vance Honeycutt collected two hits, and Alberto Osuna drove in a pair.
UNC right-hander Aidan Haugh (1-0) retired the first two men he faced in the 10th before issuing a walk, but the Zebulon, N.C. native got Turner Grau to ground out to second harmlessly to end the inning.
The Tar Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC) are 13-0 at home this season and have won 17 consecutive games at Boshamer Stadium.
Phil Fox (2-1) pitched the 10th for Pitt (8-4, 0-3 ACC).
North Carolina led 5-1 at the end of six innings, scoring a run in the second and third innings before plating three runs in the sixth.
With UNC leading 2-1 entering the sixth, Osuna hit a two-run double and Luke Stevenson drove him home with a base hit up the middle to extend the lead.
The Panthers scored a run in the seventh, then tied it with a three-run eighth inning. Jake Kendro hit a lead-off homer to start the eighth before C.J. Funk and Tyler Bischke laced RBI singles to tie the game.
Luke Cantwell and Dom Popa had two hits apiece for Pitt, and Bischke drove in two.
UNC left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague made his second start for the Tar Heels and was dominant, especially during the middle innings. He retired 11 men in a row from the third through sixth innings. Sprague allowed two runs and scattered four hits over 6.0 innings with two strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Tar Heels will open a two-game midweek series against Rutgers at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday, March 12. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
B2 – Donofrio scored on a throwing error to second by the catcher after moving to third on a passed ball (UNC, 1-0).
T3 – Ryan Zuckerman scored on a double into the right field corner by Popa (T, 1-1).
B3 – Wilkerson scored from third on a ground out to shortstop by Cook (UNC, 2-1).
B6 – Osuna doubles to left-center to drive in Harber and Donofrio (UNC, 4-1).
B6 – Stevenson singles up the middle to plate Osuna from second (UNC, 5-1).
T7 – Funk scored on a ground out to third by Bischke (UNC, 5-2).
T8 – Kendro homered to left field (UNC, 5-3).
T8 – Popa scored on a single through the right side by Funk (UNC, 5-4).
T8 – Cantwell scored on a single up the middle by Bischke (UNC, 5-5).
B10 – Cook scored from third base on a single to right by Donofrio (UNC, 6-5).
NOTABLES:
• The Tar Heels' nine game winning streak is its longest since winning nine in a row during the 2018 season.
• North Carolina improved to 19-11 all-time against Pitt, including a 13-2 mark at Boshamer Stadium.
• The Tar Heels have swept three of the five series played at Boshamer Stadium (2018, 2022, 2024).
• Vance Honeycutt doubled in the second inning, reaching base for the 51st consecutive game.
• Wilkerson collected a pair of hits for the second consecutive game.
• Haugh earned his first win as a Tar Heel.
• Carolina improved to 4-1 in one-run games this season.
Cook was hit by a 0-1 pitch to lead off the bottom of the 10th. After Parks Harber popped out, Donofrio pulled a 3-2 fastball down the right field line, where it settled into the corner, and Cook raced around the bases with the game-winning run, easily beating the relay throw home.
"It's hard to [sweep]," UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. "I told them they would have to play this game at a high level. I challenged them to play with the confidence of winning the first two games but with the attitude of losing the first two and having to find a way to win.
"When you find a way to win that game, it helps you tremendously."
Donofrio finished 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Colby Wilkerson and Vance Honeycutt collected two hits, and Alberto Osuna drove in a pair.
UNC right-hander Aidan Haugh (1-0) retired the first two men he faced in the 10th before issuing a walk, but the Zebulon, N.C. native got Turner Grau to ground out to second harmlessly to end the inning.
The Tar Heels (14-2, 3-0 ACC) are 13-0 at home this season and have won 17 consecutive games at Boshamer Stadium.
Phil Fox (2-1) pitched the 10th for Pitt (8-4, 0-3 ACC).
North Carolina led 5-1 at the end of six innings, scoring a run in the second and third innings before plating three runs in the sixth.
With UNC leading 2-1 entering the sixth, Osuna hit a two-run double and Luke Stevenson drove him home with a base hit up the middle to extend the lead.
The Panthers scored a run in the seventh, then tied it with a three-run eighth inning. Jake Kendro hit a lead-off homer to start the eighth before C.J. Funk and Tyler Bischke laced RBI singles to tie the game.
Luke Cantwell and Dom Popa had two hits apiece for Pitt, and Bischke drove in two.
UNC left-handed pitcher Shea Sprague made his second start for the Tar Heels and was dominant, especially during the middle innings. He retired 11 men in a row from the third through sixth innings. Sprague allowed two runs and scattered four hits over 6.0 innings with two strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The Tar Heels will open a two-game midweek series against Rutgers at Boshamer Stadium on Tuesday, March 12. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
B2 – Donofrio scored on a throwing error to second by the catcher after moving to third on a passed ball (UNC, 1-0).
T3 – Ryan Zuckerman scored on a double into the right field corner by Popa (T, 1-1).
B3 – Wilkerson scored from third on a ground out to shortstop by Cook (UNC, 2-1).
B6 – Osuna doubles to left-center to drive in Harber and Donofrio (UNC, 4-1).
B6 – Stevenson singles up the middle to plate Osuna from second (UNC, 5-1).
T7 – Funk scored on a ground out to third by Bischke (UNC, 5-2).
T8 – Kendro homered to left field (UNC, 5-3).
T8 – Popa scored on a single through the right side by Funk (UNC, 5-4).
T8 – Cantwell scored on a single up the middle by Bischke (UNC, 5-5).
B10 – Cook scored from third base on a single to right by Donofrio (UNC, 6-5).
NOTABLES:
• The Tar Heels' nine game winning streak is its longest since winning nine in a row during the 2018 season.
• North Carolina improved to 19-11 all-time against Pitt, including a 13-2 mark at Boshamer Stadium.
• The Tar Heels have swept three of the five series played at Boshamer Stadium (2018, 2022, 2024).
• Vance Honeycutt doubled in the second inning, reaching base for the 51st consecutive game.
• Wilkerson collected a pair of hits for the second consecutive game.
• Haugh earned his first win as a Tar Heel.
• Carolina improved to 4-1 in one-run games this season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Haugh, Aidan (1-0)
L: Phil Fox (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Dom Popa 1
HR: Jake Kendro 1
RBI: Dom Popa 1 ; C.J. Funk 1 ; Tyler Bischke 2 ; Jake Kendro 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dom Popa 1 ; Luke Cantwell 1 ; C.J. Funk 1 ; Ryan Zuckerman 1 ; Jake Kendro 1
Batting:
2B: Honeycutt, Vance 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 2 ; Osuna, Alberto 1
RBI: Cook, Casey 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 2 ; Stevenson, Luke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cook, Casey 1 ; Harber, Parks 1 ; Donofrio, Anthony 2 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
HBP: Cook, Casey 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
1B/DH
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballINF
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