Prior to the start of this year’s college baseball season, UNC head coach Mike Fox reflected on his team’s failure to qualify for the last two NCAA Tournaments by saying there’s truly only 30 games that matter throughout the long season.
The man famous for wearing No. 30 as the Tar Heels’ skipper was referring to the 30 games on the ACC schedule–an area his team has struggled with in recent years.
On Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium, however, junior right-hander JB Bukauskas made sure Fox’s 13th-ranked Tar Heels started ACC play on the right note in 2017–as he held the No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers to just three hits in six innings during UNC’s 9-4 victory.
Zack Gahagan’ three-run home run in the third inning sparked UNC to a 9-4 win over Virginia on Friday. (Joe Bray/ UNC Athletics)
A native of Ashburn, Virginia, Bukauskas shut down his home state school much like he has each of his previous three opponents this season.
The consensus first round MLB Draft prospect struck out seven Cavaliers during his six innings on the mound, while lowering his ERA to 0.84 in the process.
Virginia (12-2, 0-1 ACC) struck first against Bukauskas with a solo home run in the top of the third inning by Andy Weber, but UNC (11-3, 1-0 ACC) responded immediately with a pair of explosive offensive innings.
Junior second baseman Zack Gahagan hit a three-run homer in the Tar Heel half of the third, which followed an RBI single from freshman Ashton McGee.
Holding a 4-1 lead, UNC added five more runs in the bottom of the fifth–using a pair of two-run singles from sophomores Kyle Datres and Brandon Riley to do the bulk of the damage.
The Tar Heels committed two errors while trying to close the game out in the ninth for reliever Brett Daniels–allowing Virginia to score three unearned runs–but by that point, the win had essentially been locked up.
Facing its toughest test of the season to date–one the head coach would refer to as the season’s first real game–UNC passed with flying colors on Friday.
Bukauskas continued to show why pro scouts are so high on him, while his teammates stepped up to the challenge and showed what the Tar Heels are capable of when everything’s clicking.
Up Next:
A wintry weather forecast for Sunday forced the teams to schedule a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game is set to begin at noon, with the second game likely to begin around 30 to 40 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
Game Notes:
- Every member of the UNC lineup to record at least three at-bats also recorded at least one hit.
- Bukauskas has now struck out 37 hitters in 2017, compared to just five walks.
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