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Things were looking bleak in Omaha just a few minutes after Game 2 of the national championship series began. UNC had gone down in order – with three strikeouts – against Oklahoma starter Xander Mercurius in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the frame, a throwing error and a double had allowed the Sooners to plate two runs against starting pitcher Ryan Lynch.
The Sooner-heavy crowd at Charles Schwab Field sensed blood in the water and got on its feet. It would have been enough to cause plenty of college baseball teams to mentally fold.
The Diamond Heels are not like plenty of college baseball teams. Three hours later, they were celebrating a 6-2 win, one in which they held the Sooners off the scoreboard for the final eight innings and snapped Oklahoma’s nine-game winning streak. Carolina had gotten off the mat and forced a winner-take-all championship game Monday.
“We really have no other choice,” said Carter French, who set a Men’s College World Series record with his four walks Sunday. “We’re playing to keep playing baseball. There was no other choice than to just keep playing, keep our heads down and keep battling.”
It was a French leadoff walk which began a consequential third inning, one which ended with a rattled Mercurius having thrown 50 pitches and allowed three UNC runs to score — including one on a wild pitch. Mercurius was lifted in the fifth after allowing a titanic solo home run to Owen Hull.
“I believe in this team, and they believe in themselves,” said head coach Scott Forbes. “And in a weird way, they play better when their backs are against the wall.”
That fifth inning provided another crossroads for Carolina after Lynch exited with an apparent oblique injury. The crestfallen sophomore apologized to his teammates as he headed back to the clubhouse after throwing only 56 pitches, and Caden Glauber was called in from the bullpen on short notice.
“We just told him, ‘Dude, it’s not your fault,'” said team captain Gavin Gallaher. “He gave us four great innings. No doubt in my mind that he was gonna continue to throw very well. Obviously, there’s nothing you can do about that. We told him we were gonna pick him up, and sure enough, Globe came in and did.”
“We talk about it all the time, being process-oriented, next play mentality,” Forbes said. “Just play every pitch. And when you look up, whatever happens, happens.”
What happened was Glauber firing 65 pitches in five shutout innings and closing out the win to save UNC’s championship aspirations. His readiness in an unfortunate situation typified the resiliency which has defined the Diamond Heels all season long; with a win Monday night, Carolina can win a fourth three-game series this season after dropping Game 1.
“This is one of the most united teams I’ve ever played with,” Gallaher said. “We all really just want to play for another day together. I love this team, I love these guys, and it helps us show up and play.”
“We just knew deep down: it’s destiny,” said Hull. “We’re gonna come out and play tomorrow. Don’t let us win today, and we won today. So we’re gonna give it everything tomorrow.”
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Featured image via Associated Press/Rebecca S. Gratz
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