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06/17 16:39 CDT North Carolina will head to the CWS finals for 1st time since
2007 after knocking out West Virginia
North Carolina will head to the CWS finals for 1st time since 2007 after
knocking out West Virginia
By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) --- Owen Hull had a triple and two doubles among his four
hits, Gavin Gallaher had four hits and four RBIs and North Carolina rolled past
West Virginia 12-7 on Wednesday to advance to the College World Series finals
for the first time since 2007.
The Tar Heels (53-12) went 3-0 in bracket play and will play for their first
national championship in baseball starting Saturday in the best-of-three finals
against Oklahoma or Georgia.
West Virginia (47-17) was 2-2 in its first CWS appearance with both losses to
the Tar Heels.
A North Carolina offense that batted .217 with just four extra-base hits in its
first two CWS games went into overdrive against the Mountaineers. Carolina was
8 for 10 with runners in scoring position, had five extra-base hits and amassed
its most runs and hits (16) in nine NCAA Tournament games.
Hull was a home run shy of becoming the second player in three days to hit for
the cycle. Texas' Adrian Rodriguez did it Monday against Alabama. Hull had an
RBI double in the first inning, a single in the third, RBI double in the fourth
and a triple in the sixth.
Cooper Nicholson's two-run triple put the Tar Heels up 5-1 in the third, and
they led 12-1 before the Mountaineers began whittling into the lead.
Carolina starter Folger Boaz labored through a 28-pitch first inning, giving up
two singles and a walk, and he didn't come out for the second. Jackson Rose
(5-0) pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief and gave the ball to Matthew
Matthijs with a nine-run lead.
West Virginia scored five runs on five hits and two walks in the seventh, all
with two outs, and pulled within 12-6 when catcher Colin Hynek had a pitch by
new reliever Caden Glauber get past him. Gavin Kelly homered in the eighth, his
second of the CWS and 19th of the season, to make it a five-run game.
Chansen Cole (10-2) started for the Mountaineers on four days' rest. Cole, who
lasted only 2 2/3 innings in a 7-5 win over Troy on Friday, made it 2 1/3 on
Wednesday.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
