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The 2024 ACC Tournament continued on Thursday with a trio of pivotal games, as spots in the semifinals were on the line in two of the matchups at Truist Field in Charlotte.
Let's take a look at how things played out.
2024 ACC Tournament Pools
Pool A: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 12 Pitt
Pool B: No. 2 Clemson, No. 7 Louisville, No. 11 Miami
Pool C: No. 3 NC State, No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Virginia Tech
Pool D: No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Florida State, No. 9 Georgia Tech
2024 ACC Tournament Results - Thursday, May 23 (Pool Play)
No. 11 Miami def. No. 2 Clemson, 8-7
No. 1 North Carolina def. No. 12 Pitt, 12-2
No. 6 Duke def. No. 3 NC State, 8-1
Friday, May 24 (Pool Play)
No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 5 Florida State (11 a.m. ET)
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 7 Louisville (3 p.m. ET)
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 8 Wake Forest (7 p.m. ET)
Saturday, May 25 (Semifinals)
Pool A winner vs. Pool D winner (1 p.m. ET)
No. 11 Miami vs. No. 6 Duke (5 p.m. ET)
Sunday, May 26 (Championship)
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (12 p.m. ET)
Miami 8, Clemson 7
The day started in dramatic fashion, as Miami held on to earn a one-run win over reigning tournament champion Clemson and advance to the semifinals for the second straight year. At No. 11, Miami is the lowest seed ever to knock off the defending tournament champion.
The Hurricanes built a big lead with a five-run second inning, but the No. 3 nationally-ranked Tigers wouldn't go down so easily. Clemson cut the lead to one in the eighth inning, but Miami freshman outfielder Jake Kulikowski hit a pinch-hit home run in the bottom half of the frame to give the team a two-run lead heading into the ninth.
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After Clemson left fielder Tristan Bissetta hit a solo home run in the ninth to cut the lead to one, Miami left fielder Edgardo Villegas stopped the rally by making a leaping catch at the wall to preserve the victory.
Miami got a quality start out of Gage Ziehl, who pitched six innings and allowed six hits, three runs (2 ER) and three walks with four strikeouts. Myles Caba recorded the final six outs to secure the win.
The Hurricanes will meet the winner of No. 3 NC State vs. No. 6 Duke in the semifinals on Saturday.
North Carolina 12, Pitt 2
The top-seeded Tar Heels showed why they're the favorites to win an ACC championship by opening their tournament with an incredible power display to defeat No. 12 Pitt. North Carolina will look to punch its ticket to the semifinals on Friday against No. 8 Wake Forest, which defeated Pitt 8-1 on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels were chomping at the bit after having the first two days of the tournament off. The first four hitters in North Carolina's lineup each hit home runs in the first inning to set the tone for the team's big day.
With the early lead, Tar Heels starter Jason DeCaro settled in and pitched a strong game while fireworks continued for North Carolina. DeCaro pitched seven innings and struck out six batters while allowing five hits and two earned runs. Casey Cook added a two-run home run in the sixth and Anthony Donofrio tacked on a three-run blast in the ninth.
North Carolina appears to be in top form, so Wake Forest could be in for a long day when the two teams meet on the diamond on Friday.
Duke 8, NC State 1
The second upset of the day occurred on Thursday night, as the No. 6 seed Blue Devils secured a dominant victory over No. 3 NC State. The result was far from decided at the beginning of the game, as it took over four innings until the first run was scored.
Freshman outfielder Chase Krewson opened up the scoring with a solo home run at the top of the fifth inning before a grand slam from second baseman Zac Morris gave Duke a quick 5-0 lead.
Left-hander Andrew Healy helped keep the Wolfpack off the board, striking out four batters in five innings of work without allowing a run. The Blue Devils were able to build up an impressive 8-0 advantage before NC State scored the team's sole run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Duke will now face off against Miami in the second semifinal game on Saturday.
