North Carolina Forces MCWS Game 3 With 6-2 Win Over Oklahoma

Q: Can North Carolina's freshman ace be the hero again in tomorrow's winner-take-all championship?

Yes — Caden Glauber is a very plausible hero for North Carolina again in Monday’s winner-take-all Game 3, though his availability after a heavy Game 2 workload is the key question. The freshman right-hander was the turning point in Sunday’s 6-2 win. After Ryan Lynch exited with a lower left side injury, Glauber delivered five scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out eight against an Oklahoma lineup that had been averaging 9.4 runs per game this postseason. That outing not only forced Game 3, it showed he can neutralize the Sooners’ power in the biggest moment of the season. His broader résumé supports the idea. Glauber improved to 12-0, and North Carolina is now 29-0 in games he pitches. He has been one of the nation’s top freshmen all season, earning national freshman honors and proving he can handle pressure, including an 11-strikeout super regional performance that sent UNC to Omaha. The uncertainty is usage. Throwing five innings in relief on Sunday makes it unlikely he would be a full-length starter on Monday. But in a championship decider, he does not need to start to be decisive. If North Carolina can get enough early innings from its starter, Glauber could still be the most important arm in the game, whether for a short burst in the middle innings or to close it. So the evidence says yes: if he is physically recovered enough to pitch, Glauber gives UNC its best chance to win the title.

Q: After being silenced, can Oklahoma’s high-powered offense reignite to capture the College World Series title?

Yes — Oklahoma has every reason to believe its offense can rebound in Monday’s winner-take-all Game 3, but North Carolina showed in Game 2 that it can neutralize even the hottest lineup in college baseball. The best evidence for Oklahoma is its body of work. The Sooners entered the finals averaging 9.4 runs per game in the postseason, had scored eight or more runs in eight of 10 NCAA tournament games, and pounded out 14 hits in a 9-3 Game 1 win over North Carolina. Deiten LaChance, Jaxon Willits, Brendan Brock and Jason Walk have driven a lineup that has been one of the tournament’s most explosive, both in batting average and power. Game 2, though, exposed the challenge. After scoring twice in the first inning, Oklahoma managed only two hits and five baserunners the rest of the way as Ryan Lynch and especially Caden Glauber took control. Glauber struck out eight over five innings and has been a season-long difference-maker for UNC, which is now 29-0 when he pitches. That performance suggests Oklahoma was not simply off; North Carolina executed a strong plan and has the arms to repeat it. So the question is less whether Oklahoma can hit than whether it can adjust quickly. The Sooners have already shown they can erupt against elite competition, and one quiet game does not erase that. But if UNC gets comparable pitching again, Oklahoma’s margin for error shrinks sharply. Game 3 will likely turn on which version of the Sooners’ offense shows up early.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 21

North Carolina stayed alive in the Men's College World Series finals by beating Oklahoma 6-2 on Sunday, one day after a 9-3 Game 1 loss, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Monday night.
Ryan Lynch and Caden Glauber drove the turnaround by limiting Oklahoma to four hits; after the Sooners scored twice in the first, they managed only two hits and five baserunners the rest of the game.
Glauber improved to 12-0 after replacing the injured Lynch in the fifth, striking out eight over five innings as the Tar Heels moved to 29-0 in games he pitches.
Jake Schaffner's two-run triple and score on a wild pitch flipped a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the third, and homers from Owen Hull and Cooper Nicholson stretched it to 6-2.
Oklahoma entered the game averaging 9.4 runs in the postseason and 8.25 in Omaha, but was held to its fewest runs since May 19 and went scoreless over the final eight innings.