Diamond Heels Win Another Marathon, Beat Clemson 6-4 In 14 Innings

Saturday, April 11

Clemson, S.C.

2 PM

North Carolina

29-6-1, 12-5

Clemson

23-13, 5-9

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
North Carolina	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	6	13	1
Clemson	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	11	3

Photo by: William Soule

Diamond Heels Win Another Marathon, Beat Clemson 6-4 In 14 Innings

April 11, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

By: William Soulé

CLEMSON, S.C. – Carolina baseball got caught in their second 14 inning marathon in as many weeks on Saturday afternoon, outlasting Clemson 6-4 to even the series and set up a Sunday rubber match in Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The No. 6 Tar Heels (29-6-1, 12-5 ACC) had to overcome a deficit that lasted into the ninth inning just to send the game to extras before a perfectly executed safety squeeze scored a pair to put UNC in front for good. It was the eighth come-from behind victory of the season for the boys from Chapel Hill, who also stayed perfect in extra inning affairs now at 4-0.

Four hours and fifty nine minutes later, the final decisive play came in the top of the 14th. A single, walk, and error loaded the bases for the Heels with one out, bringing the freshman Tyler Howe to the plate.

Clemson made a pitching change and while the new arm warmed up head coach Scott Forbes and his assistants devised a bold plan to scratch across some runs. They called for the safety squeeze after giving Howe a swing to get a feel for the new delivery. Howe executed it perfectly, forcing an errant throw home from the new Tigers' pitcher that would score both Jadyn Nunez and Owen Hull around from second.

While one freshman made one decisive play, another rookie was the star of the game for the Tar Heels. Caden Glauber added another chapter to what is quickly becoming an epic story for a kid who should still be in high school, throwing 6.0 shutout innings from the ninth on with six strikeouts and five hits.

Glauber, who recently earned a spot on the Baseball America Freshman of the Year Watch List, continues to show why he belongs in any conversation about the best young arms in the country. The Fort Mill, S.C., native is now 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA and a team-high 51 strikeouts in 42.0 IP.

Remarkably, Carolina only had to use three arms in the 14 inning outing compared to seven for Clemson. Starter Ryan Lynch was solid in 5.0 IP of work, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits with three strikeouts. Walker McDuffie pitched 3.0 frames of relief allowing just one run on one hit with two punchouts.

UNC put a lot of runners on base, logging 13 hits and seven free passes, but continued their struggles continued in bringing them around to score. They had 15 runners left on base with a 2-19 batting average with runners in scoring position. The Heels are 0-7 with the bases loaded so far in this series. Fortunately, Clemson was forced into being just as wasteful with their opportunities as they left 17 on base.

Macon Winslow, Cooper Nicholson, and Hull were the best of the bunch at the plate on Saturday. All but one of the Carolina runs involved one of those three in some way. Each registered a multi-hit day with Hull picking up three hits and a walk along with an RBI and a run scored.

Winslow had two hits and two HBPs, continuing his mark of reaching base to 35 of 36 games on the year. He also continued his elite mark defensively, throwing out the pinch running Jarren Purify at a crucial moment in the bottom of the tenth. Had that play not been made, Clemson likely brings him around to score and wins the game.

The Tar Heels will have to recover from the marathon quickly with a 12:30 p.m. ET first pitch in the rubber match waiting for them on Sunday. What should be an exciting finale to the series will air live on ESPN2.