OMAHA, Neb. (theACC.com) – North Carolina’s storybook season drew to a close Monday night as the Tar Heels fell to Oklahoma, 13-2, in a winner-take-all national championship game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
 
After dropping Game 1 of the best-of-three series to the Sooners, North Carolina responded with a 6-2 win in Sunday’s Game 2.
 
Making his first start since May 12, North Carolina’s Jackson Rose (5-1) took the loss, while LJ Mercurius (5-5) earned the win for Oklahoma. The Tar Heels’ pitching staff had carried the team to the national championship series before falling short Monday night. The Sooners scored against postseason standouts Rose, Walker McDuffie and Matthew Matthijs, while also forcing All-America reliever Caden Glauber from the game without recording an out.
 
The Tar Heels collected 10 hits Monday, led by two hits each from Jake Schaffner, Owen Hull and Carter French. However, all 10 hits were singles, and the Tar Heel offense struggled to string together scoring opportunities.
 
The Sooners struck first in the second inning and scored in five consecutive innings en route to their first NCAA title since 1994. Oklahoma built a 3-0 lead before North Carolina second baseman Gavin Gallaher laced an RBI single up the middle to score Hull.
 
In the seventh inning, with his team trailing 9-1, Hull singled to third base, plating Jadyn Nunez, who entered the game as a pinch hitter.
 
The Tar Heels finished as the nation’s winningest team with 54 victories, including four in the Men's College World Series. North Carolina’s run through the MCWS began with a win over Ole Miss before it defeated West Virginia twice to advance to the championship series.
 
North Carolina advanced to the championship series for the third time in program history, joining the 2006 and 2007 teams, both of which fell to Oregon State. The Tar Heels became the first ACC team to advance to the MCWS finals since Virginia won the national championship in 2015.