North Carolina wins a thriller over LSU, punches a ticket to NCAA Super Regionals

The Diamond Heels are heading to a NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2022. In an extra-inning thriller, the Tar Heels send the defending national champion LSU Tigers home, 4-3.

Monday night's Chapel Hill Regional final started with three consecutive singles from the top of the Tar Heel lineup off LSU starting right-hander Samuel Dutton. A walk and an RBI double play plated two for North Carolina in the first frame, but the inability to capitalize more came back to bite the visiting (ironic right?) No. 4 national seed.

Jason DeCaro -- who started Friday night against LIU -- was the opener for the Diamond Heels. The freshman righty gave up two runs in as many innings, as the Tigers tied things up at 2-2 in the second. The LSU pitching staff was depleted and used three arms in the first 1.1 innings. The approach looked effective for North Carolina, until Will Hellmers entered.

The senior right-hander mowed down Tar Heel hitters for 5.2 innings, allowing no runs and just two hits. In a game that looked to be a high-scoring bullpen contest through the first third, Hellmers completely changed the narrative of this region final. North Carolina had bullpen question marks of their own, but sophomore Matthew Matthijs answered the bell on the hosting side, as he went 4.1 innings surrendering a solo HR to Jared Jones.

It was 3-2 LSU for quite some time, and Tar Heel hitters were unable to string anything together until the final three outs of the game. After not scoring since the first inning, the Diamond Heels sent the bottom third of the lineup to the plate. Gage Jump, who like DeCaro, started LSU’s opening game, entered in the ninth searching for three outs and a trip to the super regionals. Gavin Gallaher got the rally started with a leadoff double to left. After a strike out bunting foul that missed third by inches, nine-hole hitter Colby Wilkerson stepped up and delivered. The senior infielder singled to left, scoring the tying run and kept North Carolina alive.

LSU couldn't scratch in the bottom half, and in a game where the Diamond Heels looked lifeless for almost seven innings, we were somehow heading to extras. A 2-out error from Tiger right-fielder left Johnny Castagnozzi on second in the tenth, and Alex Madera singled to plate what would be the winning run following the miscue. The Tar Heels were somehow, someway, three outs away, and Dalton Pence (3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER) slammed the door in the bottom of the tenth.

In a regional that had just about everything a fan could ask for, North Carolina found a way to score two runs against top-50 2025 draft prospect Gage Jump, and rallied to win in extras. LSU did not score after the third inning, and much credit goes to the Tar Heel bullpen for keeping the game in striking distance.

Boshamer Stadium will be back and primed for an NCAA Super Regional next weekend. The West Virginia Mountaineers, winners of the Tuscon Regional, are headed to Chapel Hill with a trip to Omaha on the line.

Times are TBA, but the Diamond Heels are dancing for at least one more week.