UNC Baseball: It's a fact- pitching wins games in June!
Sure, every team in the country wants to feature a high-powered offensive attack. In fact, the UNC baseball program has been one of the top offensive teams in the country this season.
However, when it comes down to postseason play, especially during the NCAA Baseball Tournament, pitching is what matters the most.
The UNC baseball program faced the defending national champion LSU in a winner-take-all game on Monday night in Chapel Hill and prevailed in extra innings. The offense was able to do just enough while the pitching, led by the Diamond Heels' two-headed relief monster, did what they do best.
After Jason DeCaro started the game and pitched the first two innings, Scott Forbes quickly turned the game over to his bullpen. This was the Tar Heels' game plan all along, as Forbes noted that "all of the horses" would be ready to go for this Game 7 duel.
First out of the pen was right-hander Matthew Matthijs. After allowing a solo home run in the third inning, Matthijs settled in nicely, allowing just two hits over a career-high 4.1 innings pitched.
Matthew Matthijs exits after allowing one run and two hits over a career-high 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk and retired the last 11 batters he faced. A defining performance in a season full of them for the sophomore.
— Pat James (@patjames24) June 4, 2024
UNC still trails 3-2.
After Matthijs' night was over, Forbes went to another one of his horses, left-hander Dalton Pence. During the Chapel Hill Regional, Pence was utilized quite a bit, as he made three appearances over the four day stretch.
As he's been essentially all season long, Pence was lights out.
The left-hander threw the final 3.2 innings of work to guide the Diamond Heels to victory. On short rest, Pence threw 60 pitches, as he allowed just one hit while striking out four LSU batters.
Dalton Pence (@BourneBraves ‘23) goes the final 3.2 innings with 4 SO against LSU to send North Carolina to the Super Regional.
— Cameron Manna (@CameronManna) June 4, 2024
What a finish and what a gutsy performance for Pence who threw 60 pitches on short rest.
Of course, Colby Wilkerson's RBI single in the ninth inning and Alex Madera's go-ahead RBI single in the tenth will draw a lot of attention, but it's the job that Matthijs and Pence did out of the bullpen that proves to be the difference.
The Tar Heels are fortunate that their top two relievers were able to step up in a big way in the team's biggest game thus far this season, as you should expect to see both guys continue to play a significant role in the UNC baseball program's quest toward a trip to Omaha.
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