Virginia Wins Weekend Series at No. 8 North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Virginia baseball team (13-3, 2-1 ACC) split a pair of games on Saturday (March 7) with No. 8 North Carolina (13-3-1, 1-2 ACC) at Boshamer Stadium.

 

Virginia took game one by a score of 9-2 before falling 8-7 in 12 innings during the nightcap.

 

With the series win, Virginia has won back-to-back series at North Carolina dating back to the 2023 season. In each series, the Tar Heels were ranked in the top 10.

HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 1

• After a pitcher’s duel in the first two innings, Sam Harris broke the seal in the third when the junior launched a two-run blast to left field. Harris’ fourth of the year put the Cavaliers up 2-0 after three.
• The two-run UVA lead held until the fifth inning when the Cavaliers exploded for four more runs, which was capped off by a two-run infield single by Zach Jackson that made it a 6-0 contest.
• With a six-run lead, Stammel cruised to his first quality start of the season by surrendering one run on three hits in six innings with four strikeouts.
• Virginia’s relentless offense added two more runs in the sixth when Joe Tiroly snuck a ground ball past the Tar Heel third baseman that allowed Eric Becker and AJ Gracia to scamper home.
• Jackson added some insurance an inning later with a solo no-doubt home run to right. The dinger was Jackson’s second of the series and extended the UVA lead to 9-1.
• In relief, Lucas Hartman allowed a solo home run to the first Tar Heel he faced before retiring the final nine North Carolina batters he faced to secure the 9-2 Virginia victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 2

• North Carolina took its first lead of the weekend with a one-out solo home run off the bat of Gavin Gallaher. Following the solo shot, Paone retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced.
• Virginia answered immediately in the top of the second with a three-run frame that was highlighted by a two-run Becker single down the line in left.
• Murray made it a 4-1 contest an inning later when the junior crushed a ball to left center for his fourth home run of the 2026 campaign.  
• The visiting half of the fourth opened with Kyle Johnson doubling down the line in left before ending up on third thanks to a Tar Heel fielding error. Johnson came home to score a few pitches later on a Becker sacrifice fly.
• North Carolina stormed back to tie the game at 5-5 with a pair of runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings.
• The tie held until the top of the ninth when Sam Harris doubled home Gracia to give UVA a brief 6-5 advantage.
• The Tar Heels forced extras when UNC’s Tyler Howe hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth. North Carolina threatened later in the frame with the bases loaded, but Virginia’s Tyler Kapa extended the contest with a strikeout of Macon Winslow.
• After a pair of scoreless innings, Harrison Didawick singled to open the top of the 12th and came around to score on a Noah Jouras RBI triple that the grad student catcher dropped directly on the foul line in right field.
• North Carolina rallied and took the weekend finale by scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the 12th.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• With the series win, Virginia improves to 122-192-4 all-time against North Carolina.
• The series win in the ACC Opener is the first for UVA since taking two of three games from North Carolina in 2023.
• With his single in the second, AJ Gracia has each base safely in all 16 games this season.

FROM HEAD COACH CHRIS POLLARD

“I am just really proud of them. I said I know that you’re tired and you’re hungry. It has been a long week; we have been on the road for eight days with six road games and I just wanted them to know that I am really proud of them. Going 4-2 on the road, going back to Sunday versus VCU. I think during the eight-game road trip, they have handled it really well, they have grown up a lot.”

UP NEXT

Virginia will return to the friendly confines of Disharoon Park to open a five-game homestand on Tuesday (March 10) against William & Mary. First pitch between the Tribe and Cavaliers is slated for 4 p.m. and will be carried on ACCNX and WINA (98.9 FM/1070 AM).