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From staff reports
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - West Virginia University sold out on its version of the Iron Man in the first game of Friday's NCAA Super Regional against fourth-ranked North Carolina.
Unfortunately, the tank ran empty and the Tar Heels rallied with three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for an 8-6 win in the first game in the best-of-three NCAA Super Regional, Friday night at Bryson Field.
WVU left-handed starting pitcher Derek Clark gutted it out for 8 1-3 innings, throwing a career-high 144 pitches before giving way to reliever Aidan Major with a runner on first base, one out and the score all even at 6-6.
Major struck out the first batter he faced. Tar Heel lead-off batter Vance Honeycutt followed and hit a no-doubter 425 feet over the left-field wall for a two-run, walk-off homer to leave the Mountaineers (36-23) needing two wins in the next two days against UNC (46-14) to advance to their first-ever College World Series.
At one point, WVU trailed 4-1 against UNC starting pitcher Shea Sprague before Kyle West doubled home Brodie Kresser with a single run in the top of the fourth inning. WVU took a 6-4 lead with a four-run sixth inning, which included Reed Chumley's team-leading 16th home run and West's second four-bagger of the game.
Going deep into games was nothing unusual for Clark, who pitched four complete games this season and surpassed 120 pitches on four different occasions
After UNC touched Clark for four runs on three hits and a pair of walks in the third inning, he went on a streak where he retired 11 of 12 batters.
UNC No. 9 hitter Colby Wilkerson put a halt to that streak with a solo homer in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 6-5. Leading off the home half of the ninth, Luke Stevenson took Clark's first offering over the fence in straight away center field for a 6-6 tie. A strikeout followed by a single and Clark's night was over.
Against the Tar Heels' fourth pitcher of the night, right-hander Matt Poston, WVU did not produce a hit over the final three innings. Poston weaved through his share of traffic during that span after Tar Heel relievers combined to hit four WVU batters. None resulted in runs, however.
Poston finished with four strikeouts while earning the win.
Each team finished with eight hits, including a 1-for-4 effort with one run scored for Parkersburg South product Grant Hussey starting at first base for WVU. West accounted for three hits and four RBIs - this coming off the heels of a 1-for-32 showing in the past 10 games for the Mountaineer designated hitter.
For UNC, Honeycutt went 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and the two game-winning RBIs. Teammate Parks Harber delivered a one-out single with the bases loaded in the third inning. All three baserunners scored as Harber made his way to second base on a WVU fielding error.
The two programs will square off in game two at 8 o'clock Saturday night.