The North Carolina Tar Heels faced off against the South Carolina Gamecocks in a game that saw Vance Honeycutt swing at a pitch at Truist Field in Charlotte, NC. The Tar Heels secured a win in the College World Series with a 3-2 walk-off victory against Virginia. Junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt played a key role in the win, hitting a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring pinch hitter Jackson Van De Brake home for the winning run. Honeycutt had previously hit a walk-off home run in the Super Regionals.
The Tar Heels started off strong, scoring the first run of the game in the first inning thanks to a groundout from right fielder Anthony Donofrio that brought left fielder Casey Cook home. The Cavaliers tied things up in the third inning with a RBI from first baseman Henry Ford. Both teams showed strong defense throughout the game, with the score remaining tied until Virginia took the lead in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly from shortstop Griff O’Ferrall.
UNC answered back in the seventh inning when Cook hit an RBI double, aided by a poor throw from Virginia’s left fielder Harrison Didawick. The game remained tied until the ninth when Honeycutt’s heroics secured the win for the Tar Heels. Honeycutt also made several key defensive plays in center field, while O’Ferrall contributed with groundouts for Virginia.
Both starting pitchers, Jason DeCaro for UNC and Evan Blanco for Virginia, put up strong performances on the mound. DeCaro recorded six strikeouts in five innings for the Tar Heels, while Blanco pitched seven innings and struck out four for the Cavaliers. With the College World Series being double elimination, Virginia still has a chance to stay in the tournament with a matchup against the loser of Tennessee vs. Florida State. North Carolina will await the winner of that game for their next matchup on Sunday.