Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Despite jumping out to the 2-0 lead during Sunday’s series finale, the Virginia Tech baseball team was betrayed by three errors that led to five unearned runs against No. 12 North Carolina as the Hokies were handed the 7-4 loss at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Virginia Tech (25-15, 10-11 ACC) struck first during the bottom of the third inning, capitalizing on its second trip down the lineup card against UNC starter Jason DeCaro.
Stepping in with two outs and Clay Grady on first base, Henry Cooke bounced an RBI double inside the third base bag and into the left field corner, green-lighting Grady around for the game’s go-ahead run. Two pitches later, Ben Watson kept the gears of the Hokies’ offense cranking, depositing the RBI single into right field that scored Cooke and put the hosts ahead, 2-0.
Watson singled twice (2-for-2) and walked twice to lead Virginia Tech, which witnessed its record this season against D1Baseball ranked opponents slip marginally to 7-6. The defending ACC batting champion departed Sunday’s game with his best season-to-date batting average (.310), having posted his 14th multi-hit game of the 2025 campaign – his ninth within his last 14 games played.
After touching DeCaro up for two runs on three hits, Virginia Tech’s offense cooled off, mustering only two hits through the game’s remaining six innings of play. To complicate matters, untimely errors by the Hokies’ defense resulted in the team allowing five unearned runs (season high), including four during the seventh inning that ultimately decided the contest.
North Carolina (31-9, 13-8 ACC) chipped a run off Virginia Tech’s lead during the top of the fourth inning when right fielder Nick Locurto missed the fielding of a routine single by Lee Sowers, providing plenty of time for Alex Madera to score from first base. Although the Tar Heels would ultimately strand Sowers at second base, they cashed in the game-tying run during the top of the fifth inning when Jackson Van De Brake led off with a solo home run against Mathieu Curtis, knotting the game at 2-2 and leading to more traffic.
Virginia Tech made two calls to its bullpen during the fifth inning to deny UNC any go-ahead thunder. With two outs and the bases loaded, Cameron LeJeune took the mound in relief of Jacob Exum, tossing a strike down the middle against Sowers before forcing the inning-ending fly out to Watson in left field.
LeJeune’s six-pitch walk of Carter French to lead off the sixth inning ultimately stung him as the North Carolina outfielder came around to score on Luke Stevenson’s RBI single that put the Tar Heels in front, 3-2. Watson responded for the Hokies during the bottom of the sixth inning with a leadoff single, but advanced no farther than second base once DeCaro was lifted for reliever Ryan Lynch.
Virginia Tech and LeJeune were an out away from a one-two-three seventh inning when Grady’s throw to first base pulled Sam Tackett off first base, leaving the door open for UNC. On cue, the Tar Heels rallied for four unearned runs to take the 7-2 lead, swinging three hits while benefiting from the Hokies’ botched handling of a double steal that resulted in a balk and catcher’s interference ruling.
Without North Carolina’s four-run seventh inning, Virginia Tech may have been in position to win as David McCann hammered a two-run home run during the bottom of the eighth inning, trimming the margin to 7-4.
In total, the Hokies threw 11 pitchers against UNC (season high), allowing 11 hits, nine walks and one hit batsman.