CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Miami dropped a tight defensive battle to the No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels (20-6, 5-5 ACC), Friday night at Boshamer Stadium, 2-0.

Despite a strong outing from Miami right-hander Griffin Hugus, the Hurricanes could not find home plate despite a prime bases-loaded opportunity in the seventh inning with one out.

Miami (14-13, 1-6 ACC) managed six hits but couldn’t string them together. Jake Ogden had two hits for the Hurricanes, who were shut out for the second time this season. Hugus (3-3) pitched a complete game in the loss, allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out four.

Hugus was efficient for Miami as the transfer from Cincinnati held the Tar Heels hitless through four innings.

North Carolina’s Jake Knapp (4-0) scattered five hits without issuing a walk, lowering his ERA to 1.38 on the season. Walker McDuffie closed the door with two scoreless innings, fanning four to notch his second save.

Sam Angelo drove in Alex Madera with an RBI double to put UNC on the board, and Jackson Van De Brake followed with an RBI single to score Tyson Bass, giving the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead that would hold firm for the rest of the evening.

Game two of the three-game series begins at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACCNX. Right-handed pitcher Brian Walters (2-0, 7.00 ERA) will get the Saturday start for the Hurricanes.

Courtesy of Miami Athletics

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi will be on Inter Miami’s matchday roster for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Union, coach Javier Mascherano said Friday, but it remains unclear if Messi will play. 

Messi has been nursing an adductor strain in his left thigh. He felt discomfort during Inter Miami’s last match at Atlanta United March 16, and he did not join Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay March 21 and Brazil on Tuesday. 

“Messi is doing well” and “if nothing happens” during Friday’s training session, Messi “should be available” Saturday, Mascherano said before Friday’s practice.

“He knows his body very well, and the reality is that he has been training progressively more and more, and has joined in to do some training sessions with the group. And today he will do the entire training session,” Mascherano said of Messi, his former teammate with Barcelona and Argentina.

Philadelphia sits atop the MLS Eastern Conference with 12 points from a 4-1-0 (win-loss-draw) record, while Charlotte FC, Inter Miami, Nashville SC and Chicago FC each have 10 points to round out the Top 5, entering Saturday’s slate of MLS games.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia Union?

The Inter Miami-Philadelphia Union match begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and will be available to live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. 

Is Messi playing tomorrow vs. Philadelphia? 

It’s unclear if Messi will play, but he’s expected to be on Inter Miami’s matchday roster.

How does Messi’s return impact Inter Miami’s upcoming schedule? 

Saturday begins a five-match stretch for Inter Miami over a span of 16 days, so expect Messi’s potential playing time to be limited as he makes his return.

Inter Miami will play LAFC in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The club will host Toronto FC April 6, then host LAFC in the second leg of their matchup April 9. Inter Miami will play on the road at the Chicago Fire April 13, ending the five-match stretch.

Inter Miami said Messi had an MRI, which revealed he has a “low-grade injury in the adductor muscle” on March 17, a day after he scored a goal to help Inter Miami win 2-1 at Atlanta. 

Before the Atlanta match, Messi scored a goal March 13 during his return from a three-game layoff to help Inter Miami advance past Jamaican side Cavalier FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament. 

Messi did not play in the club’s 4-1 win against the Houston Dynamo March 2, the first leg against Cavalier March 6, or against Charlotte FC March 9. 

Messi predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-25, and eight matches in a 40-day span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, which included five preseason matches to start the year.

The last time we saw Dimitrov, he was fighting off dizziness after an ultra-grueling quarterfinal win over Francisco Cerundolo in a third-set tiebreaker. While he has had a day to recover, and Djokovic won his own quarterfinal on Thursday, Novak may still be the fresher player. Dimitrov has survived two marathons, while Djokovic hasn’t dropped a set in Miami so far. His serve has been a big part of that success. In his quarterfinal with Sebastian Korda, he made 83 percent of his first deliveries.

“The whole tournament I’ve been serving really well, and I needed it,” Djokovic said.

WATCH: Djokovic grades his performance against Korda

But if Dimitrov feels rested and ready, he does have a chance. Last year he beat Carlos Alcaraz and made the final here. And while Djokovic has won eight straight sets, we still don’t know exactly where his level is, or where he is in his partnership with Andy Murray. He didn’t win a match between the Australian Open and Miami, and none of his wins this week have come against a Top 15 opponent. He still seems like someone who is searching for his top gear.

That said, a 12-1 head-to-head is tough to get around. Yes, Dimitrov has improved his serve, and he can disrupt his opponents with his one-handed backhand. But whatever he does, it doesn’t work against Djokovic. Winner: Djokovic—Steve Tignor

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