Vance Honeycutt lined a game-winning single to left field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give No. 4 North Carolina a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Virginia on Friday in the opening game of the College World Series at Omaha, Neb.
Pinch hitter Jackson Van De Brake led off the ninth with a double just inside the right field line off Virginia’s Chase Hungate (7-2). Alex Madera laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Van De Brake to third and Colby Wilkerson was retired on a foul pop to catcher Jacob Ference.
Honeycutt came up and delivered the walk-off hit on a 2-1 pitch to make a winner of Dalton Pence (5-1), who tossed 3 1/3 hitless innings of relief. Casey Cook had three hits for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina (48-14) advances to face the winner of Friday night’s game between Tennessee and Florida State on Sunday night. The loser of the night contest will meet Virginia (46-16) in an elimination game, also on Sunday.
Virginia left-hander Evan Blanco allowed two runs and seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.
North Carolina struck in the bottom of the first as Cook singled with one out, moved to third on a double by Parks Harber and scored on Anthony Donofrio’s groundout.
The Cavaliers tied the score in the third when Ethan Anderson hit a one-out single, advanced to third on a double by Casey Saucke and scored on Henry Ford’s single to right.
Virginia took a 2-1 lead in the sixth as Henry Godbout drew a leadoff walk against North Carolina’s Matt Poston and Eric Becker followed with a double. After Bobby Whalen struck out, Griff O’Ferrall hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Godbout.
The Tar Heels knotted the score in the seventh as Madera led off with a single and was bunted to second. After the second out, Cook stroked a single to left to score Madera and end Blanco’s outing.
North Carolina right-hander Jason DeCaro allowed one run and four hits in four-plus innings. He struck out six and walked four.
–Field Level Media
