CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Arkansas scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and walked off North Carolina on its home field to advance to the College World Series.
Brady Slavens’ one-out RBI single scored Peyton Stovall to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 victory over the Tar Heels in the second game of the NCAA Chapel Hill Super Regional. Braydon Webb tied the game 3-3 the at-bat before with a fielder’s choice to score Jalen Battles, who led off the inning with a single.
Stovall also singled and pinch hitter Kendall Diggs walked to load the bases with no outs. Both ninth-inning runs came against North Carolina’s top reliever, Davis Palermo, who was lifted for Caden O’Brien before Slavens’ at-bat.
Arkansas (43-19) won a game that ended 6 hours and 12 minutes after it began. Two weather delays — between the second and third innings, and during the top of the eighth — lasted a combined 2 hours, 54 minutes. The nine-inning game began at noon Central and ended at 6:21 p.m.
"The game was amazing," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "Both teams were strong mentally. They just hung in there through the two lightning delays and frustrations....Just a testament to the competitiveness of both teams.
"I feel very fortunate to win the ballgame."
The Razorbacks chased down Slavens and dog piled between first and second base as the program celebrated its 11th trip to the College World Series, but first since 2019.
"You don’t need to make the moment bigger than what it was," Slavens said. "We already tied the game. There’s no pressure; just put a good swing on it."
Arkansas rallied after North Carolina (42-22) scored with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to go ahead 3-2. The Razorbacks were the designated home team and batted in the bottom of innings.
North Carolina defensive replacement Patrick Alvarez put the Tar Heels ahead in the top of the ninth with a two-out hit up the middle. It was Alvarez’s first RBI hit since a Feb. 20 game against Seton Hall in North Carolina’s third game of the season.
He entered Sunday’s game to play second base in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Tomas Frick scored from third base on the hit. Frick doubled to lead off the top of the ninth inning. Both hits in the inning came against Arkansas freshman Hagen Smith, who entered in the eighth following the second weather delay.
Van Horn said there was no panic in the dugout.
"We felt like we were going to win the game," Van Horn said.
Redshirt sophomore right hander Will McEntire pitched 5 2/3 innings in his first career postseason start for the Razorbacks. McEntire pitched two innings before a 1-hour, 46-minute rain delay, and threw his final pitch in the top of the sixth inning – 3 1/2 hours after the game began.
McEntire allowed 3 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 4 in his 73-pitch outing. He threw 47 pitches for strikes.
"This is probably the best day of my life," McEntire said.
McEntire allowed two base runners on a leadoff single by Colby Wilkerson and a one-out walk by Vance Honeycutt in the sixth inning, but Kole Ramage stranded both runners when Alberto Osuna fouled out to first base on Ramage’s first pitch out of the bullpen.
McEntire and Saturday starter Connor Noland combined to throw 12 1/3 innings without a run at North Carolina.
Arkansas broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when Battles ended a long at-bat with a two-out double to the wall in left field. The hit scored Chris Lanzilli, who reached on a fielder’s choice after Michael Turner led off the inning with a single.
Arkansas went ahead 2-0 on Braydon Webb’s solo home run in the sixth.
North Carolina tied the game with two runs against Ramage in the seventh inning. Mikey Madej singled to lead off and Frick was hit by a pitch to put two Tar Heels on with no outs.
Madej scored on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Eric Grintz and Frick scored on a two-out wild pitch by reliever Brady Tygart.
“It was a roller coaster of emotions for a number of different reasons,” UNC shortstop Danny Serretti said. “But, you know, it’s just baseball, I guess. It will rip your heart out. You can feel on top of the world 30 minutes ago and feel like garbage now. It sucks, but hats off to them.”
Arkansas will play Connecticut or Stanford first at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., likely on Saturday. UConn leads its best-of-three-game series against the Cardinal following a 13-12 victory in Game 1.
The Razorbacks are going to Omaha for the seventh time under Van Horn, the 20th-year head coach. Prior to Arkansas, Van Horn took Nebraska to the College World Series twice and his nine appearances are the most among active coaches.
Van Horn is the 13th coach to take nine teams to the College World Series.