Score: [1] No. 4 North Carolina 8, [4] VCU 0
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Boshamer Stadium)
Records: VCU 37-24 (20-10 A-10), North Carolina 46-11-1 (22-8 ACC)
VCU baseball fell to regional host and national 5-seed North Carolina in the opening game of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, 8-0, on Friday night at Boshamer Stadium. The Rams will face No. 23 Tennessee on Saturday in the elimination bracket.
LEADING OFF:
- UNC is ranked No. 4 in the polls, the Rams' highest-ranked opponent this season
- With five strikeouts on the mound, the Rams reached 521 team punchouts for just the second time in program history
- VCU rolled a pair of double plays, Dante DeFranco turning both of them
- Nate Kirkpatrick tallied the first hit of the Rams' NCAA postseason
- With a single, Jacob Lee extended his on-base streak to 23 and hitting streak to eight games, both career highs
- Michael Petite drew a pair of walks, reaching base safely for the 31st consecutive game
- Patrick Steitz the pitcher of record for the Rams, going 4.0 innings and surrendering four runs
- Left-handed pitcher Dawson Newman hurled three scoreless innings to start his outing, but was touched for three runs in his final frame
- VCU was shut out for the first time this season
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- North Carolina opened the contest with three two-out runs in the first inning and climbed to a 4-0 lead in the third frame on a home run from Cooper Nicholson
- VCU stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the first five innings, as Rams hurlers reeled the game in on the mound for the middle stretch as Steitz and Newman combined to toss four-straight scoreless frames
- The Tar Heels scratched four more runs across on four hits in the eighth inning, extending their lead to the 8-0 final
UP NEXT
VCU will play Tennessee at 12 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, May 30 in the elimination bracket. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. More information on the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional can be found at the
Regional Central page.