UNC baseball escapes in extra innings on the road against UNC Wilmington

Jackson Van De Brake.

It was the clutch hitting of Van De Brake who sealed the deal for the UNC baseball program during its road matchup against UNC Wilmington. The Seahawks hosted the Tar Heels, entering the contest with a record of 8-8 on Tuesday evening.

North Carolina's four runs at the top of the 10th inning catapulted them into position to finish UNC Wilmington off for the victory — ending the game by a score of 7-3. Junior Matthew Matthijs closed the ballgame to secure his team's 15th win of the season.

Junior Cameron Padgett started on the bump for Scott Forbes, throwing for four innings and allowing three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and retired four batters during his outing. In relief, sophomore Folger Boaz, freshman Ryan Lynch, freshman Walker McDuffie made appearances.

As a team, UNC had 10 hits compared to UNC Wilmington's six. Catcher Luke Stevenson and third baseman Gavin Gallaher led the team with two hits a piece.

Here's the moment Van De Brake roped the ball for a bases-clearing three RBI triple.

Coach Forbes celebrated in unison with his team, as the game was tied for three straight innings before entering the tenth but it was his second baseman who connected on a fastball to capture the lead.

UNC is now sitting at 15-2 as the No. 6-ranked team in the country. Its next game is Friday, March 14 as the Tar Heels take on Louisville for a three-game road stand. Then, back at home on Wednesday, March 19 for a single-game outing against UConn.

Despite the series loss at Boshamer Stadium to Stanford, Carolina still looks the part of an elite team as the year continues to progress. And for what it's worth, losses are inevitable — they were going to happen at some point.

The Tar Heels keep on rolling.