Hoos drop ACC opener 9-4 to North Carolina

So far this season there has been cautious optimism surrounding the Cavalier Baseball team. Daniel Lynch and Evan Sperling, each new to the rotation, have pitched well, but that wasn't against the best competition. Lynch got a rude introduction to ACC hitting Friday night as the Tar Heels roughed him up for nine runs on ten hits. He pitched well in three innings, but a four run third and a five run fifth limited his day to only 4.1 innings pitched as he picked up his first loss of the season.

Virginia got on the board first thanks to an Andy Weber home run in the third inning. North Carolina would respond right away thanks to an RBI single by Ashton McGhee and a three-run home run by Zack Gahagan.

The Tar Heels piled it on in the fifth, scoring five runs on RBI singles by Kyle Datres, Tyler Lynn, and Brandon Riley.

The lead would prove insurmountable though Virginia did score three runs in the ninth to make the final score 9-4. Nate Eikhoff came through with an RBI single and Weber drove in two more runs giving him three RBI on the day.

On the bright side for Virginia, Hoos’ pitchers held a potent North Carolina scoreless for seven innings, included three from Chesdin Harrington in relief. Weber and Eikhoff were the only Hoos with more than one hit as the Cavaliers were held to only eight.

The two teams are back at it for a double header starting at noon on Saturday. Adam Haseley takes the mound for Virginia in the first game as they look to bounce back and even the series and Sperling gets the ball for the series finale.