The #23 UVA baseball team lost to #8 North Carolina 6-2 Saturday night at sold-out Davenport Field. A school-record crowd of 5,074 fans attended the game, beating the previous record of 5,050, set five times during the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Virginia drops to 23-12-1 overall, 9-8 in ACC play, as UNC snaps UVA's streak of 16 straight ACC home series wins, dating back to March of 2009.
The Cavaliers committed four errors in the game, tying a season high, which led to three unearned Tar Heel runs.
The 'Hoos also left 15 runners on base in the game (eight in scoring position), leaving the bases loaded to end three innings. Virginia had runners on base in every inning, including the leadoff hitter seven times.
UVA head coach Brian O'Connor said, "We just couldn't get some big hits. We had opportunities. We had runners on and runners in scoring position. We just couldn't get the hits that we needed to."
UVA got on the scoreboard first when Branden Cogswell scored on a Derek Fisher sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the first inning, but Carolina answered with two runs in the second inning and two more in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead after three innings.
UNC put up a run in the sixth inning and one more in the eighth before Virginia scored the game's final run when Keith Werman scored on a Stephen Bruno RBI double in the bottom of the eighth.
Scott Silverstein started on the mound for the Cavaliers. The senior gave up four runs (two earned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings. Silverstein takes the loss to fall to 2-4 this season.
North Carolina used five pitchers, which allowed two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
Bruno led the 'Hoos at the plate, going 3-for-5 with the RBI.
Cogswell went 1-for-2 with two walks.
Game three of the weekend series is Sunday afternoon at 1:00 at Davenport Field. Virginia is play to avoid the sweep.
Bruno said, "We had two tough games the past two days, but it's important that we forget about these past two ballgames and come out like we know how to play: aggressive, competitive baseball."
