DURHAM – A night after getting some help to win the series opener against North Carolina, Duke returned the favor in the worst of ways.

It meant two unearned runs in the ninth inning were the difference in UNC’s 6-4 win over the Blue Devils at Jack Coombs Field on Friday afternoon.

“I thought last night they made a couple of mistakes that kind of allowed our offensive spark,” coach Chris Pollard said. “Today, we made a couple of mistakes that allowed for an offensive spark from them.”

Duke (35-17, 16-13 ACC) turned to its star closer Charlie Beilenson entering the ninth, when it was a 4-4 game. UNC leadoff hitter Vance Honeycutt, 0-for-8 in the series to that point, roped a single to left field.

And then came the trouble.

Casey Cook bunted straight back to Beilenson, who turned and rushed a throw to second base. It bounced, and shortstop Wallace Clark was unable to corral it, giving UNC (40-12, 21-8) runners at second and third with zero outs.

“You’re dealing with the fastest player in college baseball,” Pollard said of Honeycutt. “So, you feel like you need to hurry it. He had more time, but again, you’re dealing with the guy (Honeycutt) who I think is unquestionably the fastest guy in college baseball. Guys like that make you rush plays.”

A sacrifice fly by Parks Harber pushed across the go-ahead run, and Anthony Donofrio’s chopped double over Clark’s head (the infield was in) provided the insurance run.

Duke got a leadoff single by Devin Obee in the bottom of the ninth, but a flyout and two strikeouts ended the game.

“We had chances there in the ninth,” Pollard said. “Devin had a great leadoff at-bat, we got in some good counts, and just didn’t quite get that second runner on base.”

It was a closely played game, much like the previous night’s 5-3 win by Duke, in which it felt like the next mistake would decide it.

The win means UNC wrapped up the ACC’s regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in next week’s ACC tournament.

Duke’s only lead came after Zac Morris’ three-run homer in the third. The VMI transfer has 15 homers this season; he had 10 for the Keydets last year.

UNC took a 4-3 lead with a three-run fifth, coming after Ryan Higgins’ exit.

Logan Bravo’s two-out homer in the sixth tied the game at 4-4. Bravo, along with Morris, was honored in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony. Bravo transferred into the program from Harvard; the homer was his 16th of the season, after he had seven last year for the Crimson.

“We just wouldn’t be in this position without them,” Pollard said of Morris and Bravo. “As we shook hands at Senior Day, I told them both that. If they’re not here, if they haven’t had the years that they’ve had, we’re not in this position.”

UNC got an early run when Donofrio led off the second with a double. He scored on a couple of productive outs; first a flyout, then a groundout.

That was only run against Higgins, who went four innings and allowed three hits; he didn’t issue a walk and had five strikeouts. Four innings matches a season high for a junior reliever who’s moved into the weekend rotation because Jonathan Santucci is unavailable this week.

“That’s the first thing I told our team when we went down there for the post-game meeting,” Pollard said. “I thought it was a terrific outing by Ryan Higgins in a spot start. Give you four clean like that, five strikeouts. He attacked the zone. When he did fall behind, he was willing to challenge.

“I thought it was a really good outing.”

EXTRA BASES: Rain was expected to move into the area on Friday night, which is why the start of this game was moved up four hours. It was expected to continue into Saturday morning, but Pollard was optimistic there would be a window to play Saturday’s rubber game of the series. … A potential series win would be crucial for Duke’s chances of hosting a regional in the NCAA tournament. … Duke senior catcher Alex Stone was 3-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He had a two-out double in the eighth, and Bravo was intentionally walked, before pinch-hitter Tyler Albright struck out.