North Carolina forces winner-take-all CWS final after Lynch, Glauber cool off Oklahoma's hot offense
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ryan Lynch and Caden Glauber cooled off Oklahoma's bats, Owen Hull and Cooper Nicholson homered, and North Carolina beat Oklahoma 6-2 in Game 2 of the College World Series finals Sunday.
The Tar Heels (54-13-1), who haven't lost consecutive games since early March, bounced back from a 9-3 loss in Game 1 to force a winner-take-all game Monday night.
The Sooners (42-23) scored twice in the first inning and then had two hits and a total of five baserunners the rest of the way. Lynch injured his lower left side throwing a pitch in the fifth and gave way to Glauber (12-0), who struck out the side and fanned a total of eight over five innings. The Tar Heels improved to 29-0 when he pitches.
OU, which had been averaging 9.4 runs per game in the postseason and 8.25 in the CWS, was held to its fewest runs since a May 19 loss to LSU. The Sooners hadn't been held scoreless over eight straight innings since a 3-0 loss to Southeastern Louisiana on March 17. Its four hits were its fewest since a March 19 loss to LSU.
OU freshman starter Xander Mercurius (1-3) struck out six of the first seven batters he faced but encountered trouble when Carolina's first two batters reached base in the third inning. Jake Schaffner pulled a ball into the right-field corner for a two-run triple and scored on a wild pitch to put the Tar Heels up 3-2. Mercurius left after Hull's second homer of the CWS and ninth of the season leading off the fifth.
Nicholson's team-leading 16th homer, off Nate Smithburg in the seventh, made it 6-2.
Glauber walked consecutive batters with one out in the ninth. The game ended when Dasan Harris grounded to second and Gavin Gallaher turned an unassisted double play that was confirmed after Oklahoma challenged the call.
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