The Diamond Heels traveled to South Bend to take on Notre Dame, and It ended in fireworks as junior in-fielder [autotag]Johnny Castagnozzi[/autotag] hit a grand slam in the ninth inning, leading to a comeback victory for UNC.
UNC took game one of the three-game series but it came with its sweats. Notre dame was in complete control before Castagnozzi knocked it out of the park, leading 8-4 heading into the ninth inning.
Colby Wilkerson got things going first for UNC in the inning with a 395-foot shot to bring UNC within three. Jackson Van De Brak helped the comeback efforts a few bats later with an RBI single.
The Tar Heels were within two with bases loaded when Castagnozzi approached the plate. Dramatically, Castagnozzi had three balls and two strikes on him before the in-fielder cracked the ball out to the scoreboard for a grand slam and eventual UNC victory.
JOHNNY CASTAGNOZZI GRAND SLAM!!!
The Tar Heels retake the lead in the 9th!
Carolina 10, Notre Dame 8 | T9
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— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) March 31, 2023
Despite a dreadful pitching performance, the Diamond Heels stole game one, 10-8. North Carolina will be back on Saturday against Notre Dame for game two.
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