University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, May 25
Durham, N.C.
3 p.m.
North Carolina
35-21
10
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2
Virginia
45-12
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North Carolina
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Virginia
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Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Baseball Moves Into ACC Semis With Win Over Virginia
May 25, 2023 | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. – Tomas Frick went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, and No. 7 North Carolina defeated No. 2 Virginia 10-2 Thursday to advance to the semifinals as the winner of Pool B at the ACC Baseball Championship at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Jake Knapp (5-3) allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings and won for the second time in his last three starts. Dalton Pence nailed down his first career save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.
"Jake was outstanding," UNC coach Scott Forbes said. "He made some really big pitches we needed to get us back in the dugout. He's gotten better all year.
"I felt like he was going to match up good with Virginia; he matched up well them at home," Forbes said. "But I also knew he was a much better and a more complete pitcher now than he was then."
The Tar Heels will face No. 3 Clemson or No. 6 Boston College on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Tigers and Eagles will play to determine the winner of Pool C Friday at 11 a.m.
Frick hit a two-run double in the seventh that put North Carolina ahead 6-2 and then smashed a bases-clearing single off the top of the Blue Monster in the eighth to make 10-2.
Frick has 21 doubles this season, which ranks fifth-most in the ACC, and is the most by a UNC catcher since Jacob Stallings had 24 two-base hits in 2012. He has 47 doubles for his career, leaving him four shy of the school's all-time top 10 list.
Patrick Alvarez, Alberto Osuna, and Colby Wilkerson collected two hits and drove in a run each. Mac Horvath scored three runs and was intentionally walked twice. Casey Cook was kept off the base paths and his consecutive games on-base streak ended at 44.
The Tar Heels have won seven straight games at the ACC Baseball Championship dating back to the 2021 season. This is the fourth time in the last six tournaments that UNC has advanced to the semifinals.
North Carolina, who dropped two of three to the Cavaliers during the regular season, scored one run in the first without the benefit of a hit as Horvath drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on a fielding error.
Virginia tied the game in the third as second baseman Hunter Godbout, who committed the error in the first, scored from second as the ball got past Jackson Van De Brake with two outs.
Hunter Stokely broke the tie with an RBI single followed by a run-scoring double off the top of the Blue Monster from Osuna and a sacrifice fly by Wilkerson during the Tar Heels' three-run fourth inning.
Ethan Anderson homered to make it a two-run game in the sixth, but UNC answered with three in the seventh.
Horvath was intentionally walked and Van De Bake drew a five-pitch base on balls to load the bases. Frick followed with a two-run single. Johnny Castagnozzi grounded out to advance two runners, and Alvarez reached on an infield single while Van De Brake scampered home.
The same scenario occurred again in the eighth as Horvath was given a free pass, and Van De Brake worked another walk after Wilkerson singled to start the frame. Frick then peppered the monster to clear the bases.
Connelly Early (10-2) allowed four runs and three hits and issued four walks in four innings.
Virginia pitchers walked eight UNC batters overall, with five coming around to score.
Jake Knapp (5-3) allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings and won for the second time in his last three starts. Dalton Pence nailed down his first career save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings and three strikeouts.
"Jake was outstanding," UNC coach Scott Forbes said. "He made some really big pitches we needed to get us back in the dugout. He's gotten better all year.
"I felt like he was going to match up good with Virginia; he matched up well them at home," Forbes said. "But I also knew he was a much better and a more complete pitcher now than he was then."
The Tar Heels will face No. 3 Clemson or No. 6 Boston College on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Tigers and Eagles will play to determine the winner of Pool C Friday at 11 a.m.
Frick hit a two-run double in the seventh that put North Carolina ahead 6-2 and then smashed a bases-clearing single off the top of the Blue Monster in the eighth to make 10-2.
Frick has 21 doubles this season, which ranks fifth-most in the ACC, and is the most by a UNC catcher since Jacob Stallings had 24 two-base hits in 2012. He has 47 doubles for his career, leaving him four shy of the school's all-time top 10 list.
Patrick Alvarez, Alberto Osuna, and Colby Wilkerson collected two hits and drove in a run each. Mac Horvath scored three runs and was intentionally walked twice. Casey Cook was kept off the base paths and his consecutive games on-base streak ended at 44.
The Tar Heels have won seven straight games at the ACC Baseball Championship dating back to the 2021 season. This is the fourth time in the last six tournaments that UNC has advanced to the semifinals.
North Carolina, who dropped two of three to the Cavaliers during the regular season, scored one run in the first without the benefit of a hit as Horvath drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored on a fielding error.
Virginia tied the game in the third as second baseman Hunter Godbout, who committed the error in the first, scored from second as the ball got past Jackson Van De Brake with two outs.
Hunter Stokely broke the tie with an RBI single followed by a run-scoring double off the top of the Blue Monster from Osuna and a sacrifice fly by Wilkerson during the Tar Heels' three-run fourth inning.
Ethan Anderson homered to make it a two-run game in the sixth, but UNC answered with three in the seventh.
Horvath was intentionally walked and Van De Bake drew a five-pitch base on balls to load the bases. Frick followed with a two-run single. Johnny Castagnozzi grounded out to advance two runners, and Alvarez reached on an infield single while Van De Brake scampered home.
The same scenario occurred again in the eighth as Horvath was given a free pass, and Van De Brake worked another walk after Wilkerson singled to start the frame. Frick then peppered the monster to clear the bases.
Connelly Early (10-2) allowed four runs and three hits and issued four walks in four innings.
Virginia pitchers walked eight UNC batters overall, with five coming around to score.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Knapp, Jake (5-3)
L: Connelly Early (10-2)
S: Pence, Dalton (1)
Batting:
2B: Frick, Tomas 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 2
RBI: Frick, Tomas 5 ; Alvarez, Patrick 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Osuna, Alberto 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 1
SH: Cook, Casey 1
SF: Wilkerson, Colby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Horvath, Mac 3 ; Van De Brake, Jackson 2 ; Frick, Tomas 1 ; Castagnozzi, Johnny 1 ; Stokely, Hunter 1 ; Wilkerson, Colby 2
SB: Horvath, Mac 1
Batting:
HR: Ethan Anderson 1
RBI: Ethan Anderson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ethan Anderson 1 ; Henry Godbout 1
SB: Ethan O'Donnell 1 ; Henry Godbout 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
5
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
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INF
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OF
/ BaseballC
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INF/OF
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RHP
/ Baseball1B/DH
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LHP
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1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
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