OMAHA, Neb. — Virginia’s unfortunate streak of one-run College World Series defeats grew to three Friday in the Cavaliers’ 3-2 loss to North Carolina at Charles Schwab Field.
Tar Heels center fielder Vance Honeycutt hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring home Jackson Van De Brake with the winning run in the first game of the 77th CWS.
The loss dropped Virginia to 46-16 heading into Sunday’s 2 p.m. elimination game against Florida State, which lost 12-11 to Tennessee as the top-seeded Volunteers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth.
The setback to UNC was the latest heartbreaking loss the Cavaliers and their fans have dealt with in recent trips to Omaha. Virginia lost both of its games in last year’s CWS by one run (Florida 6-5 and TCU 4-3).
UVA has also lost four of its past five CWS games by one run; the Cavaliers’ first loss in the 2021 tournament was a 6-5 setback to Mississippi State.
Despite losing on the final play of the game, head coach Brian O’Connor said how the team battled until the end stuck with him despite the Tar Heels’ heroics.
“They just did a little bit more of the little things than we did,” O’Connor said. “I’m really proud of Evan Blanco. I thought he pitched a terrific ballgame. He gave us an opportunity to win. I think we left 10 runners on base.
“We just couldn’t capitalize with runners on second and third, no outs, and got only one run to show for it. We just couldn’t get anything going to have a multiple-run inning.”
The Cavaliers indeed stranded 10 baserunners, including seven in the first four innings. After leaving one runner on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, Virginia finally ran out of chances. UNC relievers retired 10 of the last 11 batters they faced. The only player to reach base did so when hit by a pitch.
North Carolina jumped on top in the bottom of the first inning. Left fielder Casey Cook — who was 3 for 4 with a double and a run — laced a one-out single to center field before moving to third on a double by Parks Harber that rolled into the left-field corner.
Right fielder Anthony Donofrio’s groundout to the right side of the infield plated Cook and moved Harber to third base while giving UNC a 1-0 lead.
The early offense helped Carolina quickly forget a rocky top of the first as the Cavaliers had loaded the bases without putting the ball in play.
Tar Heels starter Jason DeCaro hit UVA leadoff batter Griff O’Ferrall with a pitch after getting ahead in the count 0-2. Walks to Casey Saucke and Jacob Ference loaded the bases before DeCaro struck out left fielder Harrison Didawick to end the threat.
The Cavaliers got that run back in the top of the third, but didn’t take complete advantage of the frame by leaving two more runners on base. Designated hitter Ethan Anderson singled to right-center, then advanced to third on a double by Saucke.
First baseman Henry Ford followed by dropping a single into short right field to bring home Anderson and tie the game at 1.
That’s where the score stayed until the top of the sixth inning, when Virginia took the lead. Henry Godbout coaxed a leadoff walk from Tar Heels pitcher Matt Poston before third baseman Eric Becker’s double to left field got Godbout to third base.
Then with one out, O’Ferrall launched a fly ball deep enough to center field that Godbout was able to race home with the go-ahead run.
North Carolina responded in the bottom of the seventh when second baseman Alex Madera scored on a two-out single by Cook after leading off the inning with a first-pitch single down the third-base line.
Both teams went three up, three down in the eighth inning before North Carolina (48-14) came through with its ninth-inning heroics.
O’Ferrall said the Cavaliers are optimistic they can successfully bounce back in Sunday’s elimination game against the Seminoles.
“Not let the moment get too big, not looking games ahead is the biggest thing,” O’Ferrall said. “The only thing we can control is winning the next game. Like Coach said, we need to do the small details that got us here in the first place.”
O’Connor is confident that can happen.
“We have to be better,” O’Connor said. “I know what these kids are made of. They’ve bounced back all year long. I know they’ll be better on Sunday.”
