After a dramatic come-from-behind win over Virginia on Friday, the North Carolina Tar Heels’ baseball program fell short against the top team in Omaha.
Tennessee jumped on North Carolina in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run home run to grab a 3-0 lead. And it was all they would need en route to a 6-1 win on Sunday night.
Drew Beam pitched five innings, giving up four hits and one earned run while striking on seven batters. He was strong from the start, frustrating UNC hitters and not allowing a hit until the fourth inning.
As UNC’s offense struggled, starter Shea Sprague kept them in it through the first three innings but ran into some trouble in that fourth inning.
The Tar Heels finally got on the board with a Vance Honeycutt home run in the top of the sixth. They then got two men on with no outs, knocking Beam out of the game. But a ground out, a pick off and then a strikeout derailed the rally.
Tennessee scored one run in the fifth, sixth, and eighth innings to keep the cushion and earn the win.
North Carolina finished the game with just five hits and really couldn’t muster anything against the Volunteers pitching staff.
For North Carolina, they now face a must-win game on Tuesday as they will take on fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foe Florida State. The winner moves on to face Tennessee on Wednesday, while the loser will be eliminated.
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