Baseball Takes Patient Win, 13-3, Over Bucknell

Tuesday, March 10

Chapel Hill

3 PM

North Carolina

14-3-1

Bucknell

4-10

Bucknell

North Carolina

Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH

March 10, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: William Soulé

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning propelled Carolina baseball to a 13-3 run-rule win over Bucknell on Tuesday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium.

The No. 15 Tar Heels (14-3-1) picked up their eighth win via mercy rule, tying their single season high barely a week into March. The win improves their record to 2-0 against Patriot League opposition under head coach Scott Forbes.

It was the first ever meeting between the two programs. Including the sweep of Indiana, Carolina is now 4-0 in games against foes they had not faced prior to this season.

Macon Winslow kick started the scoring with a bang, launching the team's longest home run of the year (427 feet) over the scoreboard in left to put Carolina up 2-0 in the first. The man behind the dish went 2-2 on the day with four runs scored and three RBIs on the homer, a single, and three walks.

The middle frames would see the teams go back and forth answering each other's blows. Bucknell got a two RBI single in the third to match the homer. Then a Colin Hynek sac fly put Carolina up one before the Bison squared it up again in the top of the fifth. UNC would take the final lead with two runs in their half of the fifth on RBIs from Hynek and Tyler Howe.

Up two in entering the seventh, the Heels put up eight runs in the one frame to "walk-off" the run-rule. It was an erratic inning from the Bison, who threw three different pitchers that combined for five walks, three hits, two HBPs, and just two outs.

All eight Carolina runs were scored with two outs. Hynek popped up again for the final blow, a first pitch single through the left side of the infield that scored Winslow from second.

Sophomore reliever Walker McDuffie finished the game and earned the win, throwing 3.0 shutout frames with four strikeouts with just one hit.

The Tar Heels will now gear up for their first true road trip of the season as they head west to face the Cal Golden Bears. First pitch from Berkley is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) with streaming available on ACCNX.