Casey Cook's 2 HRs help North Carolina beat Pitt 12-2 at ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Casey Cook hit two home runs, Jason DeCaro gave up two runs over seven innings and top-seeded North Carolina beat Pittsburgh 12-2 in pool play at the ACC Tournament on Thursday.

North Carolina (42-12) plays eighth-seeded Wake Forest, which beat Pitt 8-1 to open Pool A play, on Saturday to advance to the tournament's playoff round.

Anthony Donofrio, Cook and Parks Harber hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to open the game and, after Luke Stevenson struck out swinging, Alberto Osuna hit a solo shot to make it 4-0 and the Tar Heels led the rest of the way.

Jackson Van De Brake scored on a single by Donofrio in the top of the fourth inning but C.J. Funk led off the bottom with a homer and Ryan Zuckerman tripled to center and scored two pitches later on a double by Tyler Bischke that trimmed Pitt’s deficit to 5-2.

Cook hit a two-run shot before Harber scored on a groundout by Osuna in the top of the sixth and a single by Van De Brake drove in Alex Madera — who singled to lead off the inning and then stole second — to cap the scoring in the ninth.

DeCaro gave up five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Kyle Percival and Connor Bovair each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for North Carolina.

Zuckerman went 2 for 4 and Dom Popa had a double for No. 12 seed Pitt (26-29).

UNC swept the Panthers in Chapel Hill to open conference play and has won seven straight against them since Pitt beat the Tar Heels in the 2021 ACC Tournament. North Carolina is 19-11 all-time against the Panthers but 0-2 in the ACC Tournament.

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The Associated Press