University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
Carolina Falls To No. 2 Virginia, 3-2
May 24, 2014 | Baseball
GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Wood Myers hit his first career home run as part of a four-hit night but North Carolina fell to No. 2 Virginia 3-2 Friday night at NewBridge Bank Park in the second game of Pool B play at the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship. With the loss, Carolina was eliminated from contention for Sunday's final, but the Tar Heels will face Maryland Saturday at 3 p.m. in the final game of pool play.
Benton Moss was outstanding on the mound for Carolina (33-25), yielding only a pair of unearned runs in the fourth and the seventh. The Enfield, N.C., junior struck out eight and allowed just four hits, three of which came from Virginia second baseman Branden Cogswell.
After a string of frustrating innings that saw the Tar Heels get the leadoff man aboard in four of the first five innings against starter Brandon Waddell, Myers' big blow brought UNC back to even in the seventh. After Zach Daly reached on an error to start the inning, Myers turned on a 1-1 changeup from Whit Mayberry and deposited it over the right field wall to make it 2-2 and whip the partisan crowd in Greensboro into a frenzy. Two batters later, Landon Lassiter double to left, but he would be one of 11 Tar Heels left on base on the night.
Zach Rice (2-3) hit Joe McCarthy with his first pitch in the eighth and was replaced by Spencer Trayner. With one out, McCarthy stole second before Derek Fisher singled up the middle to restore the Virginia lead to 3-2.
With two gone in the eighth, Virginia (44-12) called on its closer Nick Howard to get the final four outs. Myers singled to lead off the ninth against the hard-throwing righty and moved to second on an Alex Raburn sacrifice, but Howard retired Lassiter on strikes and got Skye Bolt to fly out to right to end it.
The outcome means that Maryland, which has already defeated Virginia and Florida State, has clinched a spot in Sunday's final against either Georgia Tech or Duke. UVa had already been eliminated with Maryland's win earlier Friday against the Seminoles.
Carolina's final game of the 2014 ACC Championship is set for Saturday afternoon at 3 and will pit Zac Gallen against Maryland lefty Zack Morris.
