Hokie ClubCHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina used 15 hits to fuel its way to a 10-2 victory and a three-game sweep over visiting Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale for both teams on Saturday at Boshamer Stadium.
The 26th-ranked Tar Heels improved to 36-20 overall and 14-16 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with the win, while 12th-ranked Virginia Tech (36-19, 16-14 ACC) dropped its fourth straight for just the second time this season.
Six Tar Heels had two hits apiece, including third baseman Levi Michael, who tallied a team-high three RBIs. Carolina starter Patrick Johnson went seven strong innings in picking up his sixth win against three losses, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five.
Designated hitter Andrew Rash went 3-for-4 for the Hokies, who got home runs from both Ronnie Shaban and Buddy Sosnoskie. Junior right-hander Jesse Hahn took the loss to fall to 5-4 after giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out four batters and, combined with three strikeouts from Tech’s bullpen, helped the Hokies to set a new single-season school record in the category. The Hokie pitching staff now has 466 strikeouts on the year, breaking the old single-season team record of 461 set back in 1988.
The Hokies opened the scoring in the top of the second when Shaban launched a leadoff solo home run deep over the right-field wall to make it 1-0. It was Shaban’s eight round-tripper of the season. Sosnoskie joined Shaban in the third inning by sending his own solo shot to right field to increase the Hokies’ lead to 2-0. It was Sosnoskie’s ninth of the year.
Carolina claimed a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third after singling four times and using the aid of four wild pitches by Hahn. Center fielder Mike Cavasinni scored the first run on a single by Michael, Coyle came home on one of those wild pitches, and Michael touched home for the third run on a base hit by right fielder Brian Goodwin.
The Tar Heels pulled away from Tech by scoring six runs over the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Carolina got RBI singles from Goodwin and shortstop Brian Graepel, in addition to a run-scoring double from first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki. Graepel scored one of the runs on a Tech error. In the sixth, Michael’s eighth home run of the season also scored Coyle, giving the Tar Heels a 9-2 advantage.
Carolina set the final score at 10-2 in the bottom of the eighth, when a sacrifice fly from Graepel allowed Coyle to score his fourth run of the game.
The Hokies will enter next week’s ACC Championship as the No. 6 seed and will now await the conference office’s release of the pairings and game times. The eight-team tournament will take place May 26-30 at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.