The North Carolina baseball team (6-0, 2-0 ACC) defeated No. 2 Virginia (3-3, 0-2 ACC) 2-1 at Boshamer Stadium in the second game of a three-game series, clinching a series win against the highly-ranked Cavaliers to start its ACC schedule.
What happened?
First-year pitcher Max Carlson started for the Tar Heels and held Virginia scoreless in the first inning. Red-shirt sophomore outfielder Angel Zarate hit a single for UNC in the bottom of the inning, but walked back to the dugout after a Cavaliers double play.
Carlson had his first strikeout in the second inning, while sophomore outfielder Justice Thompson hit a double. He then advanced all the way to third, while first-year catcher Tomas Frick went to first. A single from first-year second baseman Johnny Castagnozzi drove Thompson in and gave North Carolina a 1-0 lead.
The third inning brought a single for Virginia in its first hit of the game from infielder Max Cotier. Cotier was able to advance to second, but another Carlson strikeout closed the frame and stopped him from getting further than that.
In the fourth inning, Carlson held Virginia hitless, notching another strikeout on the Cavaliers' Devin Ortiz. In the bottom of the inning, Frick hit a single that advanced Thompson to third. Thompson later stole home to expand the North Carolina lead to 2-0.
In the fifth inning, Virginia's Logan Michaels hit a single and advanced to second off a wild pitch. Carlson had one strikeout on the inning, but allowed a Virginia run that made the score 2-1.
Carlson started the sixth inning with yet another strikeout, but the Cavaliers responded with a single and got a runner to second off another wild pitch. After Carlson allowed a walk, sophomore Nik Pry replaced him at pitcher.
Pry closed the top of the inning with two consecutive strikeouts, but the Tar Heels couldn’t score before the end of the inning.
