Virginia salvages finale at North Carolina with 3-2 win

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 12 Virginia (4-3, 1-2 ACC) handed North Carolina (6-1, 2-1 ACC) its first loss of the season after a 3-2 victory in the series finale at Boshamer Stadium on Sunday (Feb. 28). All three games in the series were decided by one run.

Junior Mike Vasil (Wellesley, Mass.) turned in his fifth-straight quality start on the mound, limiting the Tar Heel lineup to just four hits over six innings while not allowing a run. He surrendered a leadoff single to start his day and went on to retire 11-straight before Justice Thompson singled to start the fifth. Vasil fanned five batters and did not issue a walk in his second start of the season.

Virginia scored all three of its runs with two outs, beginning with a single in the fourth by Christian Hlinka (Frenchtown, N.J.) that scored Nic Kent (Charlottesville, Va.). The hit was the first of the season for Hlinka and was part of a two-hit afternoon for the senior.

Kent put the Cavaliers in front, 3-0 in the fifth with his first home run of the year, a two-run no-doubter over the left field wall. The shortstop finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. The home run was the fifth of his career.

The first three batters reached base to start the seventh, helping North Carolina cut the Virginia lead to, 3-2. Reliever Paul Kosanovich (San Gabriel, Calif.) allowed only one of his inherited runners to cross the plate to make the score 3-2 and was credited with all three outs in the seventh.

Closer Stephen Schoch (Laurel, Md.) came on with a runner second base and two outs in the eighth and struck out Justice Thompson to end the threat. The righthander pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.

The Cavaliers return home on Tuesday (March 2) for a midweek matchup against George Washington. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on ACCNX.