North Carolina opens MCWS with walk-off win vs. Virginia - ESPN

OMAHA, Neb. — Vance Honeycutt's single brought home Jackson Van De Brake from third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and North Carolina pulled out yet another win in its last at-bat, a 3-2 walk-off victory over Virginia in the Men's College World Series opener on Friday.

The Tar Heels (48-14) advanced to play Sunday against the winner of Friday night's Bracket 1 game between Florida State and Tennessee. Virginia (46-16) meets the Florida State-Tennessee loser in an elimination game Sunday.

Four of North Carolina's six wins in the NCAA tournament have come on its final at-bat. Honeycutt accounted for a walk-off win in the super regional opener last week against West Virginia, homering in the bottom of the ninth.

«You shouldn't feel like he's going to come through every time, but that's how I felt,» said Casey Cook, who watched from the on-deck circle as Honeycutt delivered the winning hit. «That's how it's been going lately. Everybody in the dugout knew he was going to come through.»

The outcome was another disappointment for Virginia, which has lost five straight MCWS games since 2021, each of the past three by one run.

«We're frustrated because we just don't believe we played a very good baseball game today,» Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor said. «Not to take anything away from North Carolina. They pitched very, very well. What I'm speaking of is little things, missed signs. Your margin for error is so small. You have to be on top of everything to win in Omaha, and we weren't today. To North Carolina's credit, they were enough and won the ballgame.»

Van De Brake, a .194 hitter whose last hit came against Pittsburgh on May 23, pinch hit for Alberto Osuna to start the bottom of the ninth and punched a liner inside