After Hokies’ talk in contentious first inning, UNC does talking with bats, sweeps doubleheader to win series

By R.L. Bynum

In a game that started with a lot of talk and cockiness from Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels did their talking with their bats.

Tomas Frick (top photo), in the middle of a first-inning dust-up, gave Carolina the lead for good with a two-run fourth-inning home run. The Heels beat the Hokies 13–7 to sweep the Saturday doubleheader at English Field in Blacksburg, Va., and win an ACC series after losing the previous two.

After third baseman Mac Horvath hit two home runs and drove in seven in UNC’s 12–8 afternoon win, he hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning of the finale, his career-high 19th to tie for the ACC lead.

UNC (28–16, 11–11 ACC) scored 25 runs in Saturday’s doubleheader after being shut out for the second time this season on Friday. The Tar Heels scored at least a run in the last seven innings of the evening victory.

Virginia Tech designated hitter Carson DeMartini was an instigator in many ways Saturday night.

He had words for the UNC dugout when he crossed the plate after hitting a solo home run in the first inning. As Carolina catcher Tomas Frick motioned for DeMartini to go back to his dugout, Tar Heels coach Scott Forbes sprinted out of the dugout toward the Hokies’ dugout, appearing to object to what DeMartini said. Forbes was held back by plate umpire Art Thigpen.

After about a five-minute delay, the game resumed.

Following Horvath’s sacrifice fly that tied it in the second inning, Virginia Tech retook the lead on Chris Cannizzaro’s lead-off home run.

DeMartini was up next and drew a walk. Then, as he edged away from the batter’s box, he turned to Frick and stuck his tongue out at him. Frick turned to Thigpen to apparently ask about that, but there was no action.

Frick took action at the plate in the fourth inning, though, with his 368-foot shot to left field to give UNC its first lead.

After Hunter Stokely punched an opposite-field single away from the shift to left field to drive in two runs in the fifth, Hokies first baseman Garrett Michel’s two-out solo homer in the fifth cut their deficit to two.

Horvath hit a 422-foot shot to left field for his three-run homer in the sixth and Casey Cook made it 9–3 with a two-out, seventh-inning double to the gap in right-center.

UNC padded its lead with Frick’s RBI single in the eighth inning and three runs in the ninth. The first three batters walked, and all three scored, two on wild pitches.

UNC right-handed starter Jake Knapp gave up three hits, five walks and two runs with five strikeouts in 3⅔ innings before giving way to right-hander Ben Peterson (winner, 2-0). Peterson yielded four hits, three runs and one walk in 2⅓ innings before departing after DeMartini’s second home run, a two-run seven-inning shot that center fielder Vance Honeycutt nearly stole.

Right-handed reliever Matthew Matthijs came in and struck out the side to get out of the inning.

After Matthijs gave up a single and walk to start the eighth inning, Matt Poston relieved him and battled through the rest of the inning. Two walks forced in a run, and another Hokies run scored on a fielder’s choice. But Poston struck out two batters to get out of the inning with the potential tying run at the plate.

Poston pitched two shutout, hitless innings with three strikeouts.

UNC’s series win ended a streak of four ACC series without losing for Virginia Tech (25–16, 11–12), which split a two-game set with Duke during that stretch.

NOTES — Carolina faces No. 9 Campbell at 6 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN3) in Chapel Hill and visits No. 12 East Carolina at 5 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN+) before taking a week off for final exams. It will be the first game in six days for the Camels (31–10), who lost 4–2 at home to Duke on April 25 and 6–5 at Elon on April 26. The Pirates (30–13) lost 8–0 Saturday to Tulane and face the Green Wave again Sunday. … Cook reached base in both games Saturday to extend his on-base streak to 33, second only among UNC freshmen since 1999 to Colin Moran’s 37-game streak in 2011. … Horvath has 42 career home runs, tied with Chad Flack for third-most in program history. … Horvath played both Saturday games at third base after playing right field with Johnny Castagnozzi at third base in Friday’s contest. … Carolina has won all three full ACC road series and the only game played at Pittsburgh.

UNC 13, Virginia Tech 7


Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications

2 Comments

Leave a comment