College Roundup: Tar Heels Win Battle Of Carolinas In Charlotte

After not playing in the regular season for more than a decade, North Carolina and South Carolina have renewed their rivalry in each of the last two years with a midweek game at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte. The games have been incredibly popular with fans, drawing more than 10,000 fans to the Charlotte Knight’s new stadium in both years, but the Tar Heels have decidedly had the upper hand on the field.

How the Top 25 Fared

(1) Oregon State: cancelled vs. Gonzaga

(2) Louisville: won, 13-2, vs. Purdue

(3) Texas Christian: won, 9-3, at Dallas Baptist

(4) North Carolina: won, 20-5, vs. (17) South Carolina in Charlotte

(5) Clemson: won, 6-5, in 11 innings vs. Charleston Southern

(6) Texas Tech: won, 12-4, vs. New Mexico

(7) Arizona: won, 7-3, at Grand Canyon

(8) Cal State Fullerton: off

(9) Louisiana State: won, 3-2, vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in Metairie, La.

(10) Auburn: won, 16-15, at Samford

(11) Oklahoma: lost, 3-2, at Oral Roberts

(12) Long Beach State: off

(13) Mississippi State: won, 5-0, vs. Mississippi Valley State

(14) Virginia: won, 9-4, vs. Virginia Commonwealth

(15) Kentucky: off

(16) Florida: won, 10-7, at Florida State

(17) South Carolina: lost, 20-5, vs. (4) North Carolina in Charlotte

(18) Stanford: won, 9-3, at San Jose State

(19) Arkansas: won, 12-4, at Missouri State

(20) Wake Forest: won, 19-9, vs. Coastal Carolina

(21) Southern Mississippi: lost, 6-2, vs. Mississippi

(22) Oregon: won, 6-1, vs. Portland

(23) Michigan: won, 2-1, in 13 innings vs. Eastern Michigan

(24) St. John’s: won, 9-3, vs. Albany

(25) Connecticut: lost, 9-3, at Bryant

No. 4 North Carolina on Tuesday defeated No. 17 South Carolina, 20-5, matching last season’s margin of victory. A year ago, the Tar Heels defeated the Gamecocks, 15-0.

North Carolina’s lineup has produced at a torrid rate in the last week. It scored 48 runs over the weekend in a three-game sweep at Boston College, and its 68 runs in its last four games are the most it has scored in a four-game stretch since 1987.

The Tar Heels (27-6) wasted no time getting going Wednesday, scoring four runs in the first inning to chase Gamecocks starter Cody Morris. They continued to pile on runs throughout the game, building a 12-3 lead after four innings. The Tar Heels combined for 14 hits and 10 walks.

Brian Miller, Logan Warmouth, Ashton McGee and Kyle Datres, the Tar Heels’ first four hitters, led the rout. They combined to go 7-for-14 with two doubles, two triples, 12 runs and eight RBIs.

South Carolina (21-11) has now lost five of its last eight games, including back-to-back Southeastern Conference series. The Gamecocks did get some good news in Wednesday’s blowout, however. Closer Tyler Johnson made his first appearance since March 4 when he was sidelined due to a sore arm. The righthander struck out one batter in a perfect eighth inning.

In another rivalry series between SEC and Atlantic Coast Conference schools, No. 16 Florida defeated Florida State, 10-7, in Tallahassee to complete the sweep of the three-game season series. The Gators (22-11) have won 15 of their last 18 games against the Seminoles (21-14), including winning back-to-back super regionals against their in-state rivals.

Christian Hicks (3-for-5, 4 RBIs) and Jonathan India (1-for-2, 3 RBIs) led Florida’s offense. The Gators also welcomed Austin Langworthy back to the lineup after he missed about a month due to a broken hamate in his right hand.

For the Seminoles, the loss was their seventh in their last 10 games. Florida State will need to bounce back quickly, as it opens a critical ACC series Saturday against No. 5 Clemson.

The biggest upset of the night came in Tulsa, Okla., where Oral Roberts defeated No. 11 Oklahoma, 3-2. The Golden Eagles (23-9) have won 14 of their last 16 games, while the Sooners (27-9) have lost three of their last four.

Noah Cummings, who was celebrating his 22nd birthday Tuesday, delivered a two-run double in the fourth inning and came around to score what proved to be the winning run. He finished the day 2-for-4 and is now hitting .331/.384/.567 with eight home runs.

“All I wanted was a win on my birthday,” Cummings told the Tulsa World-Herald. “Anytime you come out and beat OU, it’s good. We’re one of the best teams in the country when we’re playing well.”