NCAA baseball tournament: UNC stages a comeback against USC

UNC’s Dramatic Comeback Secures Spot in Men’s College World Series

During the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 3 in the Super Regional against USC, the North Carolina Tar Heels found themselves trailing 3-1, just six outs away from elimination.

However, the Tar Heels staged an impressive comeback, ultimately winning 4-3 and earning a trip to Omaha for the second time in three years.

A pivotal hit came from Owen Hull in the bottom of the ninth inning, marking his fourth double of the game and bringing home the winning run, which secured UNC’s place in the Men’s College World Series.

“Oh, it means the world,” Hull shared with ESPN after the game. “This is a special team, and we look forward to playing in Omaha.”

UNC had lost Game 1 on Friday but managed to take Game 3 on Saturday with Jason DeCaro’s strong performance. Early in the game, the Tar Heels fell behind when starting pitcher Caden Glauber’s balk allowed the Trojans to score in the top of the first.

The Tar Heels managed to tie the game in the bottom of the third when Hull’s RBI double down the right field line helped Jake Schaffner score. Yet, the Trojans regained the lead in subsequent innings with solo home runs from Kevin Takeuchi and Andrew Lamb, taking it to 3-1.

Despite falling behind, Glauber found his groove and Kept UNC in contention.

USC’s Andrew Johnson, who had pitched a solid relief game on Friday, seemed to struggle as he pitched in Game 3. He left the field in the eighth after giving up a double to Macon Winslow, setting the stage for a potential comeback.

Despite holding onto a 3-2 lead in the eighth, things took a dramatic turn in the bottom of the ninth.

Adam Troy, who had a shutout inning earlier, began the ninth strong, but after walking Cooper Nicholson and falling behind on Carter French, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz pulled him for closer Chase Harrell, who stepped in to secure the final outs.

Harrell quickly fell behind, and after allowing a single from French, put Nicholson on third base, complicating matters for USC.

With the bases tense, Schaffner took to the plate and managed to hit a deep fly ball, enabling Nicholson to score and tie the game at 3-3.

Next up was Gavin Gallaher, a notable player for the Tar Heels. He walked, setting the stage for Hull, who had been impressive earlier in the game, to step up with Hull again at bat.

This time, Hull faced Harrell and, after a couple of missed pitches, he made contact, hitting a pop-up that fell between USC’s fielders, giving him an extended chance.

Eventually, Hull sent a line drive deep into left-center field, just evading a sliding catch from Takeuchi. That fourth double clinched the victory for UNC, sending them to the Men’s College World Series once again.