CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – The University of North Carolina baseball team continued its flare for the dramatic this postseason, pulling off a 9th-inning comeback to win 8-6 over West Virginia in the Super Regional round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
North Carolina (46-14) can earn a spot in its 12th College World Series with a victory on Saturday. West Virginia (36-23), playing this far in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, must win twice to advance to its first CWS.
UNC freshman Luke Stevenson erupted the comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning, blasting a home run to tie the game at 6-6. Vince Honeycutt then sealed the deal with a monster homer of his own to clinch the victory for the Tar Heels.
Kyle West, who homered in the third to drive in West Virginia’s first run, added a two-out run-scoring single in the fourth to get the Mountaineers within 4-2.
Reed Chumley homered after Sam White reached on an error leading off the sixth and West followed with a two-run shot to give West Virginia a 6-4 lead. West is the third Mountaineer in school history to hit two home runs in a postseason game. Chumley’s homer was his team-high 16th.
Colby Wilkerson, the No. 9 batter in the order, hit a one-out solo shot in the seventh to get the Tar Heels within a run.
Honeycutt’s home run was his 25th of the season and the 62nd of his career, a school record.
Derek Clark (8-3) nearly went the distance for West Virginia. He left with one out in the ninth and a runner on first after throwing 144 pitches. Aidan Major surrendered Honeycutt’s homer after striking out Wilkerson for the second out.
Poston (5-2) retired all nine batters he faced, striking out four. North Carolina improves to 36-3 at home this season.
The second game in the best-of-three Super Regional round is set for Saturday at 8 p.m. West Virginia will be the home team in that game. The winner of the series earns a spot in the College World Series, which starts on June 14 in Omaha.
The Tar Heels and Mountaineers have met nine previous times on the baseball diamond, but not since 2014, when West Virginia won 5-1. UNC, however, leads the all-time series with a record of 7-2, including a 6-2 record at Boshamer Stadium.
North Carolina has made 11 CWS appearances but never won it. The Tar Heels were the runners-up to Oregon State twice, in 2006 and ’07.