USC defeated UNC baseball 9-5 on Friday at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, claiming Game 1 of the NCAA Super Regional in dominant fashion. The Trojans’ offense exploded in the sixth and seventh innings, with a grand slam from shortstop Dean Carpentier breaking open a close game and propelling USC to victory in the best-of-three series opener.
UNC struck first, scoring two runs in the second inning on a single by Jake Schaffner and a sacrifice fly from Grayson Gallaher. The Tar Heels extended their lead to 5-1 through the fifth inning, but USC’s pitching collapsed in the sixth. After Carpentier’s grand slam made it 6-5, the Trojans added three more runs in the seventh to seize control. UNC’s pitchers allowed 9 runs on 11 hits, with starter Ryan Lynch giving up 4 runs in 5.2 innings.
The loss puts No. 5 national seed UNC in a must-win situation for Game 2 on Saturday. USC, which advanced from the College Station Regional as the No. 2 seed, will look to close out the series and advance to the College World Series in Omaha.
UNC baseball falls to USC 9-5 in Chapel Hill Super Regional
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Sources
- ESPN — Box score and final score from USC vs. North Carolina, June 5, 2026
- University of North Carolina Athletics — Super Regional matchup information and team seeding
- Atlantic Coast Conference — Team records and tournament bracket details
