from www.goheels.com:
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Facing off against the Big 12 champions in game one of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, No. 5 national seed North Carolina continued to fire on all cylinders offensively in an 18-2 win over Arizona on Friday afternoon.
Pitching:
W: Knapp, Jake (14-0)
L: Kramkowski, Owen (9-6)
Jake Knapp(Page High School), the North Carolina Tar Heels winning pitcher goes 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits, with 0 BBs/9 Ks…Jake Knapp now at a perfect (14-0) on the 2025 season for the Diamond Heels…
The Tar Heels’ (46-13, 18-11 ACC) bats came alive early and often against the Wildcats (42-19, 18-12 Big 12), as UNC ran out to its most runs scored this season and the highest total the program had ever hit in a Super Regional contest. The win also represented head coach Scott Forbes’ 200th at the helm of the Diamond Heels, the fifth Carolina coach to reach the double century milestone.
The Wildcats scratched one run across in the top of the first, yet Carolina responded in their first chance at the plate, putting up five runs before even recording their first out of the day. The first two runs came courtesy of singles by Luke Stevenson and Gavin Gallaher, but the the exclamation point came off the bat of Hunter Stokley, who drilled a three-run moon shot to right field for his 14th home run of the year. He was the fifth straight Tar Heel to get on base and score.
Jake Knapp expertly navigated out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the second before Kane Kepley opened up the bottom of the second by roping a triple into right center past the diving outfielder. Stevenson came up to the plate for the second time in as many innings and hit a home run to right field, ballooning the lead to 8-1.
With Arizona loading the bases once again, Carolina snuck out of the top of the fourth by only surrendering one run to the Wildcats.
Gallaher kicked off another run of scoring which brought Kepley home and two pitches later Stokley made it a double digit lead.
After loading the bases during the bottom of the sixth shortstop Alex Madera singled to left field to bring home two more runs.
Taking advantage of Arizona errant throws, Carolina added another run on the board in the bottom of the seventh to go ahead by 11 as the Tar Heels closed in on the win.
Riding with Knapp on the mound through seven innings of work, Carolina called on Tom Chmielewski out of the bullpen, pitching the final two innings for the Tar Heels.
Stokley tied the most runs scored in a super regional game with the fourteenth of the day in the bottom of the eighth. Coming up a few batters later, Sam Angelo shattered the record as he sent Carolina’s third home run of the day beyond the right field wall. Kepley followed up quickly after with UNC’s fourth bomb of the day, extending the game to 18-2.