Vance Honeycutt said it best in his postgame interview – there was some major Bosh Magic during the Chapel Hill Super Regional opener on Friday night against West Virginia.
Just like Monday night against LSU, the Diamond Heels trailed by a run entering the ninth inning. Mountaineers ace Derek Clark, despite allowing a 4-spot to UNC in the third inning, was mowing down the North Carolina lineup.
Up stepped star Diamond Heels catcher Luke Stevenson, hoping to finally solve Clark.
Stevenson did exactly that, launching Clark’s first pitch in the bottom of the ninth over the center field fence – barely over the outstretched glove of Skylar King.
Three batters later, Honeycutt ended the night with a bomb of his own.
Facing a 3-1 count from Aidan Major, Honeycutt launched the baseball well over the left field wall for an 8-6, walk-off victory that put North Carolina one victory away from the College World Series.
VANCE HONEYCUTT WINS IT FOR THE TAR HEELS WITH A WALK-OFF BLAST 💥 pic.twitter.com/X78c2v3OVL
— ESPN (@espn) June 8, 2024
Honeycutt’s blast was one of three on the night for UNC. Stevenson blasted the game-tying shot to start the ninth, but before that, Colby Wilkerson mashed his third home run of the season in the seventh inning.
Parks Harber gave the Diamond Heels a 3-1 lead in the third, grounding a 3-run single up the middle. Gallagher extended the UNC lead to 4-1 with a single shortly after.
Kyle West, who struggled big-time entering the Super Regional, tortured the North Carolina pitching with two home runs and a single.
It was the Diamond Heel pitching, specifically Matt Poston, that won out in the end. Poston, who struggled during the Regional Round, hurled three perfect innings with four strikeouts to end the game.
With a combination of clutch hitting and shutdown pitching, UNC is one win away from its first College World Series appearance since 2018.
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