North Carolina Ends Oklahoma Win Streak, Forces Game 3 for CWS Championship

OMAHA, NE — No Sooner Magic this time.

No sensational pitching by the freshman starter, no long ball heroics from the French-Canadian catcher, no defensive miracles.

Instead, it was North Carolina’s excellent pitching, from start to finish, that decided Sunday’s outcome at the College World Series.

The Tar Heels held Oklahoma to just four hits and two runs and rallied from an early deficit to beat the hot-hitting Sooners 6-2 before a crowd of 24,621 at Charles Schwab Field.

Whether it was starter Ryan Lynch, reliever Caden Glauber, UNC’s pitching lived up to its reputation. The Tar Heels came into the championship series with a 3.83 earned run average, which ranks No. 7 in the nation. Lynch threw four strong innings before leaving with nobody out in the fifth due to an undisclosed injury. Glauber (12-0), the ACC Freshman of the Year, pitched the final five innings to earn the win.

"He was able to just kind of get guys swinging at his pitches because he was ahead in the count so much," shortstop Jaxon Willits said.

"Yeah, when you play for the best team in college baseball," Glauber said, "it's pretty easy to go out there with the defense you have and the offense you have."

After rapping out 14 hits in Saturday’s 9-3 rout of the Tar Heels, the Sooners on Sunday were held to their lowest hit total of the postseason — actually their lowest total since March 19 (4). It was OU's lowest run total since losing to LSU in the SEC Tournament on May 19.

" I thought we tried too hard," said OU coach Skip Johnson.

The Sooners and Tar Heels meet again on Monday night (6 p.m., ESPN) in the final game of the season to determine the national championship.

History does not favor Oklahoma. Since moving to the best-of-three championship series in 2003, the team that wins Game 1 and then loses Game 2 is just 4-8 in Game 3.

Three of those, however, were by SEC teams: 2009 (LSU), 2014 (Vanderbilt) and 2023 (LSU). Rice also did it in 2003.

After starting a true freshman in every game in Omaha, freshman Nick Wesloski would be in line to start the finale on Monday.

Oklahoma (42-23) came in on a season-best nine-game winning streak.

North Carolina (54-13-1) had suffered back-to-back losses only one time this season — way back in March. That’s also the only time this season UNC had dropped the opener of a three-game series and didn’t rally back to win the series. Carolina came back to win three times after losing the openers against Boston College, Clemson and the NCAA Regional against USC.

"Obviously tough loss today," said DH Trey Gambill. "But I don't think we overly care. We know that we still have the opportunity to win the national championship."

Even though it didn’t last, the Sooners did Sunday against UNC what they’ve always done this season: start fast.

Having outscored opponents now 80-43 in the first inning of games this season, OU jumped on top 2-0 this time.

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Jason Walk led off with a single — his fourth time on base to start a game in the CWS this year and his 14th straight game with a hit (his 22nd in a row to reach base) — and took second on Camden Johnson’s walk.

After Johnson and Walk executed a double-steal, Walk strolled home as catcher Colin Hynek’s throw ricocheted off Johnson and into center field. Johnson hustled to third, then came home on Willits’ double off the top of the wall in right-center field for a 2-0 lead.

Willits came in batting .500 for the series, and with that hit set OU’s CWS record for his 10th hit of the tournament.

Meanwhile, freshman Xander Mercurius (1-3) was nearly untouchable in the first two innings as he struck out the side in the first and the second and only allowed a soft single.

But Mercurius’ success was short-lived as North Carolina scored three times in the third and once more in the fifth to send the OU starter to the showers. Mercurius struck out eight but walked three, gave up five hits, hit a batter and allowed four runs.

Carter French, batting just .240 this season, drew a walk from the 8-hole, and 9-hole hitter Rom Kellis singled. Jake Schaffner’s triple brought them both home to tie it at 2-2. Schaffner later scored on a wild pitch to give the Heels a 3-2 lead.

The damage could have been worse as Mercurius struck out Tyler Howe and Colin Hynek to leave the bases loaded.

Owen Hull led off the fifth with a long home run over the bullpen in right field, putting the Heels up 4-2 and ending Mercurius’ day.

"That's the trick in baseball, is not to get away from your game plan and start trying to punch guys out," Johnson said. "(He) kind of lost it a little bit. Instead of just trying to throw the ball to the target, he's trying to punch people out."

Relief pitcher Jason Bodin gave up a single, two walks and a wild pitch, and catcher Deiten Lachance committed a passed ball, but Bodin struck out Hynek to end the inning with two runners stranded.

Left hander Nate Smithburg replaced Bodin and struck out Hull with a runner at first base.

With UNC’s bats coming to life against Mercurius and the OU bullpen, Oklahoma needed another big game offensively to survive Sunday, but didn't get it.

The Sooners have hit 45 home runs since May 9 (18 games) and had homered in 11 consecutive games, including two more from Lechance on Saturday, but were unable to add to those totals Sunday against the Heels’ hurlers. Willits’ double off the wall in the first inning and Lachance's deep fly caught at the wall in the eighth was the closest OU came to a home run.

In all, the Sooners struck out 12 times, and Tar Heel pitchers issued only one walk.

Meanwhile, as Johnson dug deep into the OU bullpen for the first time in Omaha, OU pitchers did log 15 strikeouts, but also walked nine batters and allowed eight hits. Johnson hadn't needed more than two pitchers in any game at the CWS (he used just 14 players total in the first three games), but Sunday he rolled out seven hurlers.

"Yeah, I think it's good," Johnson said. "They got experience. That's number one. Number two, not afraid to throw those guys back out there if we need them. They've got their feet wet."

Oklahoma had beaten eight straight teams who were national seeds, which ties the NCAA record held by Fresno State (2008) and Coastal Carolina (2016).

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