Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kavares Tears and Reese Chapman homered, Drew Beam limited North Carolina to one hit over five shutout innings, and Tennessee took control of its bracket at the College World Series with a 6-1 win Sunday night.
The Volunteers (57-12), trying to become the first No. 1 national seed since 1999 to win the championship, will advance to the best-of-three finals if they can beat Florida State or North Carolina (48-15) on Wednesday.
Beam (9-2) limited North Carolina to three base runners through five innings, and his team was up 4-0 when he went out for the sixth.
Tar Heels starter Shea Sprague (3-2) retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced before he gave up a single and walk in the fourth. Then Tears drove an elevated change-up off the back wall of the right-field bullpen, next to the North Carolina logo, for his 20th homer of the season. Chapman, 1 for his last 15 when he came to bat, connected for his seventh to start the bottom of the fifth to chase Sprague.
Connell held the Tar Heels scoreless for two innings and turned things over to Nate Snead to start the eighth.
The first meeting of the teams since 2019 began with each teams making sterling defensive plays.
North Carolina shortstop Colby Wilkerson threw to first from his knees to get Moore. Tennessee’s Hunter Ensley took off in a full sprint and stretched out his left arm tosnag Anthony Donofrio’s deep fly to centerjust before crashing into the wall and leaving eyeblack smudged on the padding.
Postgame Notes
- North Carolina is now 19-24 all-time at the MCWS. Both teams to reach the MCWS Championship Finals (2006, 2007), won their Omaha opener, as did this year’s team. The Tar Heels have started 2-0 just once in its 12 MCWS appearances (2006, won first four, then lost to Oregon State in MCWS Championship Finals).
- North Carolina is the first team since at least 1999 to win in walk-off fashion in Game 1 of a Regional, Super Regional and MCWS in the same year.
- UNC’s eight trips to the Men’s College World Series since 2006 trail only Florida’s nine appearances.
- The Tar Heels are 121-80 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- North Carolina is now 1-1 all-time against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, defeating the Volunteers in 5-2 in the 2019 Chapel Hill Regional Final.
- Scott Forbes is making his first trip to the MCWS as a head coach. He was an assistant on seven UNC teams to reach Omaha from 2006-20. He is the only UNC Baseball coach to make the NCAA Tournament each of his first four seasons.
- Despite tonight’s loss, North Carolina’s 48 wins are its most since finishing 48-14 in 2017.
- North Carolina has not been shutout all season, and has scored in 94 consecutive games since last being blanked. Tonight was the fourth time this year the Tar Heels have scored just one run.
- UNC’s five hits were its fewest in a MCWS game since its 2013 opener when NC State’s Carlos Rodon threw a five-hitter against the Tar Heels.
- The Game 6 crowd of 25,140 was the largest in Session 4 since 2013 (25,260).
The 2024 MCWS has attracted 148,884 fans after six sessions, the most fans after six sessions since at least 2004. Last year’s MCWS set a single-season record with 366,105 fans.
The 2023 MCWS was the 17th straight MCWS to attract 300,000 fans or more. Entering 2024, the MCWS has averaged at least 20,000 fans per game each of the previous 27 times its been hosted. Including 2024, the event has attracted 100,000+ fans each of the last 43 MCWS. - The 2024 MCWS is the first time since 1984 that the home team won the first six games In 1984, the home team won the first 11 games.
- Home plate umpire Kellen Levy was replaced in the bottom of the fourth inning, not long after being hit with a foul ball. After a 16-minute delay, second base ump Scott Cline moved behind the plate, and alternate Grady Smith moved to second base.
- Game 6 (UNC/Tennessee) was the second time since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1999 that both pitchers have carried a no-hitter into the 4th inning of an MCWS game. In Game 6 in 2012, UCLA's Nick Vander Tuig allowed his first hit with one out in the 4th and Arizona's Konner Wade allowed his first hit with two outs in the 5th. The Wildcats went on to win 4-0 as Wade threw a 5-hit shutout.
Up Next
North Carolina will battle conference rival Florida State in an elimination game on Tuesday, June 18, beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels and Seminoles have not met this season and will square off for the first time in the Men's College World Series.
