Virginia Tech runs out of steam in ACC baseball championship
Poor defense and the absence of timely hitting cost the Hokies in a 4-1 loss to North Carolina in Sunday's title game.
Monday, May 27, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. — Thanks to poor defense and a lack of clutch hits, the Virginia Tech baseball team had to head home Sunday without an ACC championship.
The Hokies committed four errors in a 4-1 loss to top-seeded and sixth-ranked North Carolina in the title game of the ACC tournament in front of 8,697 fans at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
“We just didn’t play good defense,” Tech coach Pete Hughes said.
The sixth-seeded and 21st-ranked Hokies (38-20) left seven men on base.
“If you’re not getting those clutch hits against a team like North Carolina, it’s hard to get a win,” said Chad Pinder, who grounded out with the bases loaded in the fifth.
Tech fell to 1-24 against UNC since joining the ACC, including 1-20 under Hughes.
Before the game, the odds seemed to be in Tech’s favor.
The Tar Heels (52-8) had played 32 innings since the Hokies had last played on Friday afternoon. UNC beat Clemson in 14 innings Friday night and outlasted N.C. State in 18 innings Saturday night in a game that did not end until 1:51 a.m. Sunday.
“We didn’t even feed them this morning,” UNC coach Mike Fox said. “I’m like, ‘You guys sleep as long as you can.’”
It appeared Tech would have a good chance against a depleted UNC pitching staff.
“You can’t set it up any better than that,” Hughes said. “But you’ve still got to get your hits and make your plays.”
UNC freshman Taylore Cherry made his first college start Sunday. The 6-foot-8, 270-pound Cherry entered the game with a 13.50 ERA in just3 1⁄3 innings this year.
Cherry (1-0) gave the Hokies trouble with his fastball, allowing just one run, five hits and two walks in five-plus innings.
“At the beginning I was kind of nervous, but after I got in there, I settled down,” Cherry said.
Tech had used its top three starting pitchers during pool play, when it went 3-0 and allowed a total of just five runs.
So on Sunday, Hughes gave Eddie Campbell his fourth start of the year. Carlisle graduate Jake Joyce would have gotten the start for Tech if N.C. State had advanced to the final.
Hughes was expecting to use Campbell (2-4) for only three innings, but the junior pitched well enough to stay in the game for seven. He allowed two runs (both earned) and six hits.
“This is every kid’s dream, so I just went out there and embraced the moment,” Campbell said.
UNC took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
After Campbell gave up two singles, the Tar Heels scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to second by Skye Bolt. It seemed that Bolt would instead hit into an inning-ending double play, but second baseman Alex Perez committed his 20th error of the year and there were no outs on the play.
Tech’s Brendon Hayden grounded out with a man on third to end the top half of the second.
UNC extended the lead to 2-0 in the third.
After Campbell gave up two hits, UNC scored on a fielder’s choice grounder to third by Bolt. There was a chance that the grounder could have instead become an inning-ending double play, but third baseman Hayden made an errant throw to second and there were no outs on the play.
Pinder, who had belted three homers in the tournament, grounded out with the bases loaded to end the top half of the fifth.
“I didn’t come up clutch in certain situations,” Pinder said. “It’s a shame ... because at the end of the day, you want to be holding up that trophy that says you’re ACC champions.”
Tech cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth. Reliever Trevor Kelley enticed Chad Morgan to ground into a double play with the bases loaded, with one run scoring. Hayden then flied out with a man on third to end the top half of that inning.
With the score still 2-1, Hughes brought in Joe Mantiply to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Mantiply, the team’s ace, started the Hokies’ tournament opener Wednesday.
But UNC scored twice in the eighth to seal the win.
The Tar Heels got two men on base thanks to a Hayden error and a walk. Bolt then bunted, and a fielding error by Hayden on the play - his third error of the game and 10th of the year - brought home a run. UNC later scored again on a sacrifice fly.
It was Tech’s first appearance in the ACC title game.
“I definitely don’t have a dugout full of kids that are satisfied with second place,” Hughes said. “They’ll just be even more hungry [in the NCAA tournament].”
Virginia Tech 000 001 000 —1 6 4
North Carolina 101 000 02x— 4 6 2
Campbell, Mantiply (8) and Morgan; Cherry, Kelley (6) and Roberts. W- Cherry (1-0). L- Campbell (2-4). Sv- Kelley (2).
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