The UNC baseball program now finds itself in a must-win situation.
North Carolina failed to capitalize overall, falling to the Oklahoma Sooners in the first game of the Chapel Hill Regional Finals.
Aidan Haugh drew the start for the Tar Heels and essentially wasn't sharp right out of the gate. The right-hander worked in and out of trouble, allowing two runs over 3.2 innings of work, but a high pitch count (along with a questionable decision to leave him in the game) led to the second run being scored.
After getting two dominant outings from Jake Knapp and Jason DeCaro, the Tar Heels pitching staff struggled mightily on Sunday. With Scott Forbes electing to utilize some of the lesser used arms out of the pen (preparing for a potential winner-take-all game on Monday), North Carolina's pitching staff allowed 11 hits and walked 9 batters.
Definitely not a recipe for success.
After the UNC baseball program took its first lead of the game in the top half of the fifth, Oklahoma exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. The Tar Heels would cut the lead to 7-5, but left way too many opportunites offensively on the table.
The biggest missed opportunity came in the Tar Heels half of the eighth inning. Alex Madera and Tyson Bass worked their way on base, and Sam Angelo put together an incredible 10-pitch at-bat, one that resulted in a walk, to load the bases.
With the tying run at first base and no one out, the Tar Heels were about to turn the lineup over. Carter French struck out for the first out of the inning, and the top of the order duo of Kane Kepley and Jackson Van De Brake couldn't get the job done.
That was a deflating moment, especially in the Tar Heels' effort to mount a comeback.
Unlike the first meeting between the two teams, North Carolina struggled with runners on base. They were 2-11 with runners in scoring position (with Gavin Gallaher recording the only two hits). Gallaher was 3-5 on the night with a homer and four RBIs, as he solely was the UNC baseball program's offense in this one.
Now, the attention turns to Monday, a must win game to keep their season alive. The good news for the Tar Heels is that they should have all hands on deck, as you'd expect freshman Ryan Lynch to get the start. North Carolina also didn't use Walker McDuffie on Sunday, leaving him available for multiple innings out of the bullpen.
Just like last year, the Tar Heels find themselves in this situation. The question remains: can this year's squad get the job done and clinch a ticket to the Super Regionals?