UNC baseball doubles its luck, beats Virginia Tech, 11-2, for second straight win

A day after clinching the ACC Coastal Division for a second consecutive year, the North Carolina baseball team defeated Virginia Tech, 11-2, on Friday afternoon.

What happened?

After starting pitcher Austin Bergner got a 1-2-3 inning against the Hokies (21-32, 8-21 ACC), the No. 7 Tar Heel (36-17, 21-8 ACC) bats wasted no time in pouncing on the lead in the bottom half of the opening frame. Three straight singles were followed by a one-out sacrifice fly by shortstop Ike Freeman to bring home the first run of the day.

One batter later, left fielder Ashton McGee produced a two-out hit, bringing home two players on a sharp double to right field.

In the second inning, the Hokies quickly got runners on first and second with no outs, but a double play and subsequent third out killed the rally.

UNC added to its lead in the third inning. The leadoff man, third baseman Kyle Datres, ripped a triple to center field, his second of the year. Two batters later, he was brought home on Freeman's second sacrifice fly on the day. 

McGee, the next batter, stepped to the plate and calmly delivered another two-out hit, this time crushing a ball over the right field fence for his second home run of the season.

Four more Tar Heels crossed home plate in the fourth inning, thanks in part to an RBI single from first baseman Michael Busch and an RBI groundout off the bat of Freeman.

The Hokies got a run back in the fifth as Freeman committed an error on a double-play ball, allowing a runner to round third and touch home plate.

In the fifth, the Tar Heels answered yet again. It was Busch who connected on a pitch and sent it into center field for a run-scoring single, his second RBI of the day.

After giving up a leadoff single in the sixth, Bergner recorded three straight outs, the last a strikeout. The righty was relieved by first-year Caden O'Brien at the start of the seventh, ending his day on the mound.

Bergner finished with four strikeouts and allowed just three hits on one earned run in six innings of work. 

UNC continued to add to its lead in the seventh inning. A single by Busch was followed by a double from Datres to bring the sophomore home for the third time to make it 11-2. 

Neither team scored again as first-year Joey Lancellotti pitched a scoreless ninth inning to seal the door shut and give his team the win.

Who stood out?

Busch, who was 1-15 in his last four games, had a big day, producing four hits, scoring three times and plating two runs as he looks to snap out of his slump. McGee and Datres both produced multi-hit games as well, with McGee collecting three hits including a home run and Datres reaching base four times. 

Bergner had a solid game on the mound and allowed just three hits in six innings of work while striking out four batters.

When was it decided?

The game was over almost before it started. A three-run first inning propelled UNC to a 3-0 lead and the team never looked back from there.

Why does it matter?

Even though UNC had already clinched the ACC Coastal Division last night, today was important in the team's quest to host a regional. The win puts the Tar Heels a half-game ahead of Clemson for the best record in the conference with one contest remaining.

Who do they play next?

UNC faces Virginia Tech tomorrow in the regular season finale at 2 p.m. For seniors Zack Gahagan and Brett Daniels, it might be their last time playing at Boshamer Stadium.

@christrenkle2

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