Virginia Tech baseball was hoping to ride the momentum of Saturday’s electric win into a decisive Easter Sunday showdown against No. 12 North Carolina. After splitting the first two games—an opening 9-6 loss on Friday followed by a thrilling 10-6 victory—the Hokies had their eyes set on clinching a statement series win. But despite a promising start, their pitching unraveled at the worst possible time, and the Tar Heels pounced to take the rubber match, 7-4.
The series had already delivered high drama, with Saturday’s contest featuring fireworks both at the plate and between players. That game saw five home runs from the Hokies and tempers flaring that led to four ejections—Virginia Tech’s Jared Davis, Hudson Lutterman, and head coach John Szefc were all tossed, as was UNC’s head coach Scott Forbes. With emotions running high, Sunday’s finale was billed as must-watch baseball.
Virginia Tech struck first in the third inning when Henry Cooke smashed an RBI double, followed by a run-scoring single from Ben Watson to put the Hokies up 2-0. But baseball is a game of momentum, and Virginia Tech couldn’t hold theirs. In the very next frame, North Carolina answered back with a run, sparking a relentless offensive stretch.
The Tar Heels chipped away with one run in each of the next three innings, grabbing a 3-2 lead by the sixth. Then came the seventh inning meltdown. North Carolina exploded for four more runs, effectively breaking the game open and putting the Hokies in a deep hole.
David McCann tried to spark a late rally with a two-run homer in the eighth, trimming the deficit to 7-4. But Virginia Tech couldn’t muster anything more, and the comeback fell short. With the loss, the Hokies drop to 25-15 overall and 10-11 in ACC play—marking their second consecutive conference series defeat after being swept by Florida State.
Now, Virginia Tech turns its focus to a midweek matchup on the road at VCU before heading into a tough three-game weekend series against Duke. If the Hokies want to make a serious push for the NCAA Tournament, the time to tighten up their pitching and stack some wins is now.