UNC's DeCaro, Glauber Silence Pitt in Game One

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina’s duo of Jason DeCaro and Caden Glauber was dominant on Friday night, holding down a strong Pittsburgh offense and leading the Diamond Heels to a 4-1 win over the Panthers in the series opener. Solo home runs by Gavin Gallaher, Macon Winslow and Cooper Nicholson provided the offensive pyrotechnics as the Heels improved to 38-9-1 overall, 18-7 in the ACC.

Here are the key takeaways from a Friday Fireworks night in Boshamer Stadium.

A Pair of Aces

Before those fireworks, it was North Carolina’s pitching staff that put on a show for Tar Heel crowd.

DeCaro turned in his third consecutive scoreless outing, tossing five shutout innings while allowing four hits, one walk, and striking out seven. 

A patient Panther approach at the plate early on forced the ACC’s ERA leader to labor through 46 pitches across his first two innings of work. After surrendering back-to-back singles to open the second, Carolina’s ace responded by striking out the next five batters he faced on his way to a 93-pitch outing. While DeCaro admitted afterward he was not fully pleased with his command, Friday still marked his third consecutive appearance allowing two walks or fewer.

And following a rare shaky outing from Walker McDuffie — pitching for the first time since April 28 — it became Caden Glauber’s turn to shine.

Glauber needed just two pitches out of the pen to induce a 6-3 double play to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam with UNC holding a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth. From there — and stop me if you’ve heard this before — the freshman dominated, allowing one hit the rest of the night while striking out five, including all three Panthers in the ninth to slam the door shut.

Bolts of Lightening

There was not much loud contact against Pitt left-hander Antonio Doganiero Friday night, but when the Tar Heels connected, they connected. Gavin Gallaher, Macon Winslow, and Cooper Nicholson tagged the Panthers’ starter for three solo home runs — their first multi-homer performance since April 18 against Georgia Tech. 

Eight of the nine Tar Heels in the lineup recorded a hit Friday night, though Carolina did not come to the plate with a runner in scoring position until the bottom of the eighth inning. Singles from Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull, followed by a walk from Gallaher, set the table for Winslow’s sacrifice fly, which provided insurance and pushed the Tar Heels’ lead back to three.

UNC goes for the series victory Saturday. Ryan Lynch will get the start on the mound for the Heels. First pitch is set for noon in Boshamer Stadium.