The No. 13 Tar Heels traveled to South Bend to face the Irish in a vicious conference series, with the Tar Heels emerging victorious in all three games.
After the first game was postponed to Saturday due to inclement weather, the Irish barely lost by a score of 5-6. In the second round of the doubleheader, the Tar Heels emerged with a 13-7 victory to end competition for the day. In the final game Sunday, the Tar Heels earned their third and final win of the series with a final score of 15-10.
The unranked Irish have been a force to be reckoned with after their sweep over No. 19 Clemson, March 20-22, during which they toppled the Tigers. The shocking win placed Notre Dame at No. 23. The Tuesday following the Clemson sweep, Notre Dame swarmed Western Michigan to earn a victory in a mercy rule win, with a final score of 14-3 after the seventh inning.
This weekend, though, Notre Dame was unable to keep up the pace of its recent dominance.
In the first game, North Carolina barely crept by with the win. Although emerging victorious, Tar Heel pitcher Matthew Matthijs gave up two of the five runs that put the Irish on the board. Caden Glauber was the relief for Matthijs, playing the final two innings and keeping the lead for North Carolina. For the Irish, sophomore infielder Noah Coy recorded two runs, keeping the team within reach.
In the second game for the Irish, senior Xavier Hirsch was the primary pitcher for the latter half of Saturday’s play. Despite Notre Dame alternating between five pitchers in the narrow loss, Hirsch was credited with the loss, facing 14 batters through the two innings he pitched. He threw an impressive 56 pitches in the game and gave up five of the 13 runs that gave North Carolina the win. Tar Heel Camron Seagraves entered to pitch the final inning and didn’t allow any offensive progression for the home team, adding a 13-7 win to UNC’s win column.
The beginning of the final game looked promising for the Irish, who led 7-4 by the end of the fourth inning. However, the Tar Heels had an electric fifth inning that yielded eight runs, and despite their best efforts, the Irish could not regain their advantage. Seagraves’ performance earned him the win for Sunday’s game, although five other pitchers rotated in. Graduate outfielder Drew Berkland, freshman infielder Dylan Passo and Coy each recorded two runs for the Irish. They were joined by four teammates who tallied singles, allowing Notre Dame to score 10 runs. However, the Tar Heel dugout only grew stronger as each game dragged on, with Carter French and Cooper Nicholson each scoring three runs.
Notre Dame played well all weekend, especially considering the caliber of its opponent. Despite the Irish consistently scoring more and more as each game progressed, they could not limit the Tar Heels when they came up to bat. With the season nearing its halfway mark, Notre Dame must shake off the losses and look ahead to its upcoming games against conference competitor No. 14 NC State.
The Irish will travel to Raleigh at the beginning of April to face the ranked Wolfpack for their three-game series. Their first game is Friday, April 2, with the first pitch thrown at 6 p.m. The following day, the game will begin at 6 p.m. and the final game Sunday at 2 p.m. All games will be streamed live on ACCNX.
