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The cancellation of last Sunday’s rubber match between the Diamond Heels and the Wolfpack at Boshamer Stadium was a bad result for everyone involved.
UNC and NC State are jockeying for position in the ACC baseball standings. On Sunday morning, the two were separated by a half-game in second and third place, with State holding the slight advantage after winning Game 2 of the series Friday night. With a new ACC Baseball Tournament format this year which mirrors the basketball tournament bracket, solidifying a place in the Top 4 and securing a coveted double-bye was a top priority for both sides.
Also at stake were precious RPI points. UNC currently hovers just outside the Top 10 in RPI, while State sits at No. 25. Both teams would have loved nothing more than another win against a good team to move closer to a Top 8 NCAA Tournament seed in UNC’s case and a Top 16 host spot in the case of the Pack.
But the forecast had long looked precarious for Sunday’s series finale. And as first pitch at 1 p.m. approached, it was clear the start of the game would be delayed. Normally, the game would have been played Saturday, but UNC’s commencement ceremony necessitated playing Sunday instead. This had been locked in since the beginning of the season. And of course, Saturday’s weather was perfect for baseball.
That was not the case Sunday, when off-and-on rain continued throughout the afternoon as the delay lagged on. UNC head coach Scott Forbes and NC State head coach Elliott Avent would both agree that the only thing worse than a pregame rain delay is a midgame one, which almost always results in both starting pitchers being burned early and the coaches going to their bullpens. With both teams’ pens looking shaky in Game 2, that was not an appealing option for anybody. Forbes said on his radio show Monday he wasn’t going to start the game until he could be sure it would finish without interruption.
The game would not have been able to start before sometime around 7 p.m., a possibility which Forbes said was appealing. But ACC regulations state Sunday games can start no later than 6 p.m., to give the visiting team time to catch a flight home and not miss class. This is normally a good rule, given that the league now stretches from sea to shining sea. But in this case, the Wolfpack’s return trip to Raleigh was a 20-minute bus ride, and school was out for both universities. Alas, the league’s rules are ironclad, and the game was called off.
“I feel like we should’ve been able to play that game,” a frustrated Forbes said Monday. “Honestly, it’s exhausting. I can’t stand it.”
Both teams had every right to feel shortchanged, with the series bragging rights and so much more on the line. One can only hope Sunday’s fiasco doesn’t loom large over their postseason aspirations.
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Featured image via UNC Baseball on Twitter
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