Cavs End Baseball's 13-Game Win Streak

The North Carolina baseball team had its 13-game winning streak snapped in an 8-3 loss to Virginia on Sunday at the UVa. Baseball Stadium. The Cavaliers took the final game of the weekend series and handed the Tar Heels their first ACC loss of the season.

North Carolina defeated UVa. 5-0 on Saturday and 15-4 on Friday.

Sunday, UNC left 13 runners on base during the game and committed two crucial errors in the field, leading to four unearned runs for the Cavaliers.

Virginia (16-12, 5-4 in the ACC) snapped its 12-inning scoreless streak in the bottom of the fourth when pitcher Dan Street led off the inning with a solo home run to left field.

The No. 24 Tar Heels (19-9, 8-1) countered with a run of their own in the top of the fifth. Sean Farrell had a one-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Street. After a balk moved Farrell to third base, Chris Maples drove him in with a single to left.

The Cavaliers scored six more runs in the bottom of the fifth after Daniel Moore walked Mike Priest, Rob Newton and David Stone to load the bases with one out. Matt Street then ripped a single to right, scoring Priest. Moore was removed from the game in favor of Kevin Brower, who then came into the game and saw the Tar Heels make two errors behind him. Virginia scored four unearned runs in the inning.

North Carolina tried to claw its way back into the game, scoring a run in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Adam Greenberg that scored Chad Prosser. The Tar Heels later plated another run on an RBI single from Mell Adams in the top of the seventh.

But the Virginia lead was too much for the Tar Heels to overcome as the Cavaliers added a final run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Saturday, UNC freshman starting pitcher Garry Bakker pitched a complete game shutout with a career-high 13 strikeouts. Bakker scattered five hits and walked one in picking up his third victory of the season and lowering his ERA to 2.29.

"I didn't change anything today; I kept the same routine and tried to get ahead of hitters," Bakker said. "The outfield and infield both made some great plays behind me."

Farrell and Ryan Blake led the UNC attack, each with two hits and an RBI, and shortstop baseman Russ Adams scored two runs without registering a hit.

Friday, North Carolina pounded out 18 hits, and starter Scott Autrey struck out a career-high 12 as the Tar Heels won the series opener 15-4.

Adams went 4-for-6 with three RBI, and Greenberg went 4-for-4 with four runs scored as UNC scored in double digits for the third consecutive game.

The Tar Heels led 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning, when they broke open the game with five runs.

Farrell had a two-run single to plate the inning's first runs.