Jason DeCaro slammed the door on USC’s momentum Saturday, throwing a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out eight to carry North Carolina to a 4-0 win and extend the super regional to a winner-take-all finale.
The Tar Heels are now one victory from returning to the College World Series for the second time under head coach Scott Forbes. USC, seeking its first trip to Omaha in more than a quarter-century, will get the same chance in Sunday’s deciding game.
Here’s what DeCaro said after his clutch performance.
“(I was) just getting ahead early. We figured that we would get ahead, they’re an aggressive team. So just going right after guys. Before that ninth inning, Coach Gaines came up to me, and he was just saying ‘you’re in control, so pitch like it, just go after them’. So just trying to get ahead and trying to get some quick outs…
“It took me a little bit to settle in today — but after the third inning, had a couple quick outs in that inning and came back in the dugout and told Coach Gaines that I felt way better right there than I did the first two. So just tried settling in (after that)…
“I think (the crowd when I walked out for the 9th) was huge. Gave me a little bit of adrenaline right there. Coach Gaines told me to use the crowd to your advantage, and it’s not about really executing the pitch, it’s just about getting after it out there for that ninth inning. So that was really big. I was just trying to get ahead and go after guys.”
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Baseball: What Jason DeCaro said after clutch performance
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