Clash of the Carolinas: No. 21 UNC beats South Carolina at Truist Field in Charlotte
North Carolina pulled away late to win a thrilling college baseball game against South Carolina.
The Tar Heels batted around in the eighth inning of their 13-8 victory at Truist Field in Charlotte on Tuesday night, bringing five runs across the plate to grab the upper hand after the Gamecocks had battled back to tie the game.
South Carolina was forced to use 12 different pitchers to get through the game that lasted nearly four hours, by which point it was mostly baby blue-clad Tar Heels fans cheering in the crowd that initially saw an attendance of 4,871 for the neutral-site game in the Queen City.
Catcher Luke Stevenson hit two home runs and drove in four runs for the Tar Heels, and graduate student outfielder Tyson Bass knocked in four runs as well on a three-hit night.
“This field is unreal,” Stevenson said. “It’s awesome, and it’s just always so much fun playing here.”
How the No. 21 Tar Heels won the game
South Carolina opened the home half of the first inning with back-to-back home runs over the left-field wall.
After opener Nathan Sweeney tossed the first pitch at 7:04 p.m. and kept UNC (19-6) off the board, Gamecocks leadoff hitter Nathan Hall — the former high school standout from Lexington, S.C., who transferred to USC from Clemson — clobbered a solo shot. Ethan Petry, the junior outfielder named a preseason All-American, followed Hall with a moonshot over that sailed over the picnic area in those left-field bleachers.
Bass, a Lucama, N.C., native who starred in Wilson County, put the Tar Heels on the board with a solo home run of his own. The Tar Heels still trailed throughout the second inning as South Carolina (17-9) gained an early 3-1 advantage, adding another run on a sacrifice fly by Hall.
Stevenson crushed a two-out homer over the right field wall — a 438-foot solo shot that appeared to land on Mint Street. UNC turned the Wake Forest native’s eighth blast of the season into a rally, and Bass knocked home a pair with a two-run single.
The Tar Heels grabbed the lead and kept adding. Freshman left fielder Sawyer Black sent a solo home run to the second deck in right field in the top of the fourth inning, giving UNC a 5-3 advantage as South Carolina was onto its fifth pitcher by the fifth inning.
After Stevenson walked with the bases loaded, UNC cleanup hitter Gavin Gallaher poked a two-run double to center field to put the Tar Heels up 8-3.
South Carolina’s lineup got its offense cranking again during the bottom of the sixth inning, starting with junior shortstop Henry Kaczmar ripping a two-run double to right field. Second baseman Cayden Gaskin dashed home on a wild pitch, and then Kaczmar scored on a groundout by Hall as the Gamecocks made it an 8-7 game.
First baseman Beau Hollins, the former River Bluff High star whose father and uncle also played for South Carolina, hit an RBI double with two outs in the seventh to tie it at 8.
Stevenson hammered his second home run of the night, putting a 411-foot missile into the empty seats in right field following a leadoff walk.
UNC kept the line moving: Bass drove in his fourth run of the night with an RBI single, graduate student shortstop Alex Madera scored on a wild pitch and then designated hitter Sam Angelo sent Bass home with another run-scoring single.
“It’s kind of what we preach here,” Stevenson said. “Compete and do everything we can to win ball games. This team is resilient, and I’m pumped. This was a good win.”
Notable
▪ The flagship programs of the Carolinas have met annually at the home of the Charlotte Knights since 2016. North Carolina now holds the advantage in those matchups with five wins to four; The Gamecocks had won three straight entering Tuesday.
▪ The Tar Heels rank No. 21 in Monday’s D1Baseball poll, dropping four spots this week in the nationwide college baseball rankings. South Carolina has not appeared in the Top 25 all season.
▪ The series dates back to 1903, with North Carolina holding a 65-40-1 advantage. The last time the sides faced off outside Charlotte came in the 2013 Chapel Hill Super Regional, during which the Tar Heels advanced to the College World Series after winning two of three games by one run each.
They said it
“(South Carolina) had won the last three,” UNC head coach Scott Forbes said. “We’ve played really well here in Charlotte, but three times in a row is enough: We need to get on that bus and find a way to just reverse that street. Was good to see they have a great club. Was great to see Coach (Paul) Mainieri, I hadn’t seen him since we played against him at LSU.
“That’s why you schedule this game. It’s just an unbelievable ballpark in an unbelievable city. We know we’re going to have a ton of Tar Heels here. That’s why you schedule this game: You want to be able to play in this type of environment because you’re hoping to play in a bigger environment at the end of the season.”
What’s next?
North Carolina returns to Chapel Hill to open a seven-game homestand at Boshamer Stadium, starting with a three-game series that begins Friday against Miami.
The Gamecocks head back home to Founders Park, where they’re set to host No. 1 Tennessee in a three-game series from Friday to Sunday.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM.
