OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — It took nearly 4 1/2 hours in 95-degree heat to play the opening game of the College World Series. Time flew for North Carolina coach Mike Fox. He was having fun. The Tar Heels knocked out Oregon State ace Luke Heimlich during a five-run third inning and went on to beat the Beavers 8-6 on Saturday.

The Tar Heels (44-18) used six pitchers in a 4-hour, 24-minute slog that was the longest nine-inning game in CWS history. They turned back threats in the sixth and seventh innings and prevailed against an opponent they hadn’t faced since losing to the Beavers in the 2006 and ’07 CWS finals.

The Beavers were uncharacteristically sloppy while losing their third straight game over two years in Omaha. Carolina scored on a passed ball, and the Beavers committed three errors after making one in their first five NCAA Tournament games.
Then there was Heimlich (16-2), the two-time Pac-12 pitcher of the year who lasted just 2 1/3 innings — his shortest start in two years.
GRIEVING TAR HEELS
Fox said his team played with a heavy heart after learning former North Carolina pitcher Zach Attianese and his father died in a car accident in Michigan on Friday night. Attianese left after his freshman year in 2017, pitched at a junior college and was committed to playing at Florida State next season.
UP NEXT
North Carolina plays the Mississippi State-Washington winner on Monday night. Oregon State meets the Mississippi State-Washington loser on Monday.