Virginia Tech’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship hopes, but likely not its postseason, ended Friday with a 10-4 loss to North Carolina in an ACC quarterfinal at Truist Field in Charlotte.
The Hokies (30-24) will await word at noon Monday on ESPN2 after being projected as one of the third seeds in 16 four-team NCAA regionals by d1baseball.com. Second-seeded UNC (44-10-1) advanced to a semifinal in the single-elimination ACC bracket at 5 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday night’s game between third-seeded Florida State and 14th-seeded Pittsburgh.
Tech tied the score at 2 in the third on Ethan Gibson’s two-run homer, then went ahead 3-2 that inning on Henry Cooke’s solo home run. But in the fourth, the Tar Heels went ahead for good, eventually dealing Tech starter Griffin Stieg (2-5) a defeat. Jake Schaffner was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded, tying the score, and Owen Hull put UNC in front with a two-run single up the middle.
Tech’s Ethan Ball answered with a solo home run to right-center in the fifth, but the Hokies never scored again as effective reliever Caden Glauber (9-0) and the Heels pulled away on Gavin Gallaher’s RBI single, Schaffner’s RBI triple and Owen Hull’s RBI single. Macon Winslow’s two-run homer in the eighth capped the scoring.