West Virginia’s historic baseball season came to an end on Wednesday as North Carolina’s offense proved too much to overcome in a 12-7 victory in the College World Series.
The Tar Heels pounded out 16 hits and consistently capitalized on scoring opportunities, advancing while ending the Mountaineers’ deepest postseason run in program history.
North Carolina wasted little time taking control. The Tar Heels scored twice in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI double from center fielder Owen Hull. Moments later, Hull came home on a West Virginia fielding error to make it 2-0 before the Mountaineers answered with a run of their own on an RBI single from catcher Matt Graveline.
The game turned decisively in the middle innings.
North Carolina added three runs in the third inning, including a two-run triple from third baseman Cooper Nicholson, to stretch the lead to 5-1. The Tar Heels followed with three more runs in the fourth, getting another RBI double from Hull and a two-run single from Gavin Gallaher to take an 8-1 advantage.
West Virginia struggled to slow one of the nation’s most productive lineups. Gallaher finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs, while Hull collected four hits, scored three runs and drove in two more. Erik Paulsen added three hits and an RBI as North Carolina went 8-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
The Tar Heels continued to add insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings, building a commanding 12-1 lead.
The Mountaineers refused to go quietly.
West Virginia mounted a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, sparked by a triple from Grant Kelly and RBI hits from Paul Schoenfeld, Graveline and Matt Ineich. A passed ball brought home another run as the Mountaineers cut the deficit to 12-6 and briefly injected life into the crowd.
Graveline led the West Virginia offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Kelly added two hits and an RBI. Schoenfeld, Ineich and Armani Guzman also recorded multi-hit efforts.
However, the early deficit proved too large to overcome.
West Virginia finished the season 47-17, capping the finest year in program history with a Big 12 championship, a Super Regional appearance and a memorable run that further elevated the program onto the national stage.
For North Carolina, the victory moved the Tar Heels one step closer to a national championship, where they will play either Georgia or Oklahoma in the finals.
