Beavers Squelch UNC's Attempt at College World Series

North Carolina's attempt at College World Series revenge was squelched after Oregon State won the national championship with a 9-3 win in the second game of the finals.

Posted 2:50 a.m. Jun 25, 2007 — Updated 9:55 a.m. Jun 25, 2007

Gregg Found

OMAHA, NEB. — There was no revenge for North Carolina in Omaha, as Oregon State had their bats and their throwing arms working for the second night in a row, beating the Tar Heels 9-3 and claiming their second-straight national championship.

“What an unbelievable accomplishment that is to win back to back national championships,” North Carolina manager Mike Fox said. “I’m not sure that’s going to be done here at this level too many times.”

UNC had been a back-against-the-wall team throughout the NCAA Tournament, facing elimination four times before Sunday night’s finals, and winning each time.

But Sunday was Oregon State’s day, and even with a quick 1-0 lead after the first inning, the Tar Heels couldn’t snatch victory from the Beavers.

Oregon State answered the Tar Heel run immediately in the second inning. Catcher Mitch Canham led off with a single, and the next batter, Darwin Barney, brought him in to score with a line-drive home run that just cleared the left-field wall.

“Everybody knows we can pitch and defend, but I think our club really showed that we’re a good team on the field as well as together,” Barney said.

OSU added another run later in the inning, and soon the Tar Heels were in the hole again.

UNC manager Mike Fox made a gutsy call when he pulled starting pitcher Luke Putkonen in the second inning and replaced him with closer Andrew Carignan. Carignan – making the earliest appearance in any game of his career – ended the second-inning Oregon State rally but gave up two runs over three-plus innings.

Like Saturday’s game one, the Tar Heels chipped away at the OSU lead, but also like Saturday, they could never get over the hump.

“We couldn’t just get that big hit,” Fox said. “I felt like if we just could get one, it would maybe really spark the rest of us and maybe more would follow.”

UNC got a run by Reid Fronk in the third and a solo home run from first baseman Dustin Ackley in the fifth, but couldn’t put a steady rally together.

“Seemed like every time we had one of those opportunities we’d hit the ball right at somebody,” Ackley said.

The Tar Heels ran themselves out of a run in the seventh inning while trying to make a comeback. With Tim Fedroff on first base, UNC center fielder Seth Williams hit a sharp double down the left field line.

UNC manager Mike Fox sent Fedroff home to score on the play, but Fedroff was gunned down at the plate after a relay throw to Canham. The play knocked the wind out of UNC’s sails and gave Oregon State a boost that carried them to victory.

“It might have been the first extra base hit we’ve had with somebody on base so maybe I got caught up and excited trying to score some runs,” Fox said. “In hindsight, I should’ve put the stop sign up.”

Fox used all of his bullpen’s best arms – Rob Wooten relieved Carignan and staff ace Robert Woodard relieved Wooten – but Oregon State again put runners on base and brought them around consistently, with 13 hits and six walks.

Oregon State got to celebrate its second baseball national championship in two years, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since LSU in 1997.

The Tar Heels will head back to Chapel Hill as runners-up for the second straight year, but they’ll begin next season with much of their lineup returning and many young stars they’re excited about.

“We weren’t able to attain that last goal that we really wanted,” Fox said. “That’s life. We’ll move on and we’ll do anything we can to get back here again.”

Suggest A Correction