UNC rallies – North Carolina overcame a 2-2 tie to post a 5-2 win over West Virginia on June 14 at the College World Series, powered by a two-RBI triple from Gavin Gallaher and late relief from Walker McDuffie. UNC is one win from reaching the national championship series.
Omaha felt different when the scoreboard finally stopped moving against West Virginia. After North Carolina worked itself into a 2-2 tie, the Tar Heels found just enough power late to break it—then tightened everything down at the end.
The win came on Sunday. June 14. at the College World Series. setting North Carolina one victory away from the national championship series. North Carolina scored two early runs in the first inning. struggled offensively for stretches after that. and then dug deep again—scoring three late runs to take control. The Tar Heels advanced to the semifinals with a 5-2 win over the Mountaineers.
Gavin Gallaher’s moment arrived in the bottom of the seventh inning. The third baseman and captain roped a two-RBI triple to right-center field to put UNC ahead 4-2 with one out. The final damage landed shortly after: Owen Hull singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth inning. scoring Gavin Gallaher from third base to extend the lead to 5-2 heading into the eighth.
UNC’s turnaround didn’t come from just one swing. It came from a steady shift in who controlled the game—first on the mound, then in high-leverage innings.
Ryan Lynch started for North Carolina. West Virginia answered early enough to keep the matchup tight, but Lynch’s night ended in the top of the fifth when Walker McDuffie came in with two outs. Lynch finished with a line of two runs on five hits and two walks with strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings.
From there, North Carolina’s bullpen leaned into the game. Walker McDuffie earned the win after tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. He shut down West Virginia in relief of Lynch for four outs and struck out another batter on 16 pitches at one stretch. then later worked around baserunners as the Mountaineers pressed.
Maxx Yehl kept West Virginia within striking distance for much of the evening. The left-handed ace allowed five runs (two earned) on eight hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across seven innings. But after that, UNC’s late relief and clutch execution made the difference.
In the bottom of the seventh, Gallaher’s triple broke the tie and set up the Tar Heels’ 5-2 win. Earlier. the game had looked like it might swing back and forth the way it did in UNC’s first CWS win against Ole Miss on June 12—North Carolina started with two early runs. and West Virginia kept finding ways to tie things up.
Yehl’s pitching showed up in bursts. He tossed his fifth consecutive scoreless inning while North Carolina kept the game moving quickly. and he continued to work through trouble around his pitch count—at one point. West Virginia and North Carolina remained tied at 2-2 entering the sixth inning with Yehl up to 72 pitches. Third baseman Tyrus Hall also made a tremendous diving stop in that inning.
Still, UNC’s offense found timing at the right moments. In the top of the fourth inning, Matt Ineich grounded out into a double play, but it was enough to score Sean Smith from third base to tie the game at 2-2. Moments later, the complexion of the game changed again.
The Tar Heels had their own early problems—especially with walks and baserunners. North Carolina got on the board after Yehl issued a four-pitch walk to Erik Paulsen with the bases loaded and one out. That set the first tone: the Mountaineers were struggling early, already walking a batter and hitting a batter.
West Virginia’s hitting carried through the middle innings too. Armani Guzman singled up the middle with one out in the top of the third inning. scoring Ben Lumsden from second base. Guzman is hitting over .400 during the postseason for West Virginia, and he came up big again. There was also a key baserunning moment in the second inning: Armani Guzman was thrown out at third base on a steal attempt. a call that was overturned by umpires after review.
On the mound, North Carolina worked to keep the Mountaineers from creating bigger innings. In the top of the first inning, Lynch struck out West Virginia’s 3-hole hitter Paul Schoenfield and forced a pair of ground outs after walking the leadoff hitter.
As the game moved toward the end, McDuffie stayed in command. After North Carolina led 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, West Virginia had to mount one last push. In the final frame, Caden Glauber shut the door and earned the save in the final frame.
Glauber’s save was the payoff to the bullpen work before him. The Tar Heels were protecting a lead, and the finish came from a sequence that included Glauber striking out Ben Lumsden and Tyrus Hall in back-to-back at-bats.
McDuffie’s handling of the late innings showed up as West Virginia tried to load the bases. Reese Bassigner escaped a bases-loaded jam after Paul Schoenfield made a diving snag in center field with two outs. By the time the top of the ninth arrived. West Virginia had runners on first and second with one out as the tying run came to the plate.
North Carolina now awaits its next opponent, which will be the winner of Troy and West Virginia on Tuesday, June 16. The winner of the loser’s bracket game will have to defeat the Tar Heels twice in a row to advance to the national championship series.
The path to this moment started before the first pitch. West Virginia’s roster listed Maxx Yehl (9-2. 2.10 ERA) as its left-hander. with North Carolina countering with right-hander Ryan Lynch (5-4. 4.22 ERA). The game’s start time was set for 7 p.m. ET on June 14 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha. Nebraska. and it was scheduled to air live on ESPN with streaming options available on the ESPN app or Fubo.
Even the matchup numbers before the first pitch underscored how close the pressure could get. Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of June 13 had North Carolina (-1.5) on the spread. an over/under of 10.5 runs. and a moneyline of North Carolina (-160) and West Virginia (+125). One prediction listed West Virginia 5, North Carolina 3.
What happened after the early runs was a story of execution under stress. North Carolina’s offense didn’t carry continuously, but it did enough when it counted—while McDuffie and then Caden Glauber closed the door once the Tar Heels broke a 2-2 tie.
College World Series UNC baseball West Virginia Mountaineers Tyler Howe Gavin Gallaher Walker McDuffie Caden Glauber Maxx Yehl Ryan Lynch Omaha ESPN
5-2 seems kinda low scoring for a CWS game?
So UNC was down then somehow rallied? Sounds like one of those “all of a sudden” innings. Also that two-RBI triple by Gavin Gallaher… like how do you even miss that.
Walker McDuffie late relief is the real MVP right? I saw something about him throwing the last out and then everybody just stopped the West Virginia comeback. But wait didn’t West Virginia score earlier? idk the article jumps around.
Omaha felt different?? Like the crowd decided it for them or something lol. I don’t watch baseball like that but I swear UNC always gets hot at the end. One win away from the championship series already… that’s insane. Also I’m confused how it was 2-2 and then suddenly 5-2, like did West Virginia just forget to hit in the later innings?