University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
No. 14 Virginia Topples No. 4 Tar Heels, 11-1
May 22, 2009 | Baseball
May 22, 2009
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DURHAM, N.C. - No. 14 Virginia scored 10 times in the third inning, and Cavaliers' left-hander Danny Hultzen held No. 4 North Carolina to just five hits over 6 1/3 innings in an 11-1 win Friday at the 2009 ACC Baseball Championship at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
The Tar Heels (42-15) can still advance to Sunday's ACC title game with a win over Clemson Saturday and a loss by the Cavaliers (41-12-1) to Duke. This scenario would create a three-way tie at 2-1, and UNC would advance due to the best regular season conference winning percentage among the three squads. Florida State has already advanced to Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.
The ACC Freshman of the Year, Hultzen (8-1) struck out six and allowed just one run on five hits and two walks over 6 1/3 to best fellow first-team all-conference pick Alex White (7-4), who lasted just 2 1/3 innings for his shortest start since 2007.
After cruising through the first two innings with four strikeouts, White allowed six hits and two walks in the third and was charged with a career-high-tying eight runs. He was making his sixth career start versus Virginia.
Levi Michael was 2-for-3 with a solo home run, and Greg Holt came off the bench to work 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and singled in his lone at-bat for a three-game hitting streak. Michael has hit safely in five straight.
Five Cavaliers posted multi-hit games, as Virginia pounded out 14 base hits on the night. The Cavaliers scored on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth to end the game due to the league's postseason 10-run rule. Friday's loss marked the worst defeat for the Tar Heels since a 12-2 loss at Miami last season.
After the teams combined for just one hit over the first two and half innings, Carolina allowed single-inning season highs of 10 runs on nine hits in the third. Virginia sent 15 batters to the plate and all nine starters scored at least once.
The Cavaliers started things when Tyler Cannon led off with a double off the left field wall and scored on Franco Vales' RBI single up the middle. Successive one-out singles from Jarrett Parker and Phil Gosselin loaded the bases, and John Hicks brought home the second run with a single to center for the third straight hit off White. Dan Grovatt then drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Parker, Hicks scored on a wild pitch and Steven Prosica singled home Gosselin for a five-run lead.
After a walk to Hultzen loaded the bases again and ended White's outing, reliever Brian Moran fanned Cannon for out No. 2, but he walked Valdes to drive in Grovatt. John Barr followed with a two-run single up the middle, and Parker and Gosselin added their second singles in the frame to drive in the ninth and 10th runs of the inning.
Carolina last allowed 10 runs in a single frame in the second inning of a 20-4 loss to Florida State April 11, 1998, in Chapel Hill.
Michael jumped on the first pitch he saw in the fifth to put UNC on the board with a solo shot over the Blue Monster in left field. The homer was Michael's 13th, tying Seth Williams for the second most by a Tar Heel freshman.
The Tar Heels close round-robin play Saturday at 4 p.m. versus No. 13 Clemson.
