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Oklahoma Defeats North Carolina 9-3 in Game 1 of Men's College World Series Finals
Deiten Lachance hit two home runs as Oklahoma moved within one win of the national title. The Sooners will play for the championship on Sunday.
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Oklahoma defeated North Carolina 9-3 in Game 1 of the Men's College World Series finals on Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska. The Sooners improved to 42-22 while the Tar Heels fell to 53-12-1. Deiten Lachance hit home runs in the first and third innings.
The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Canadian has hit all 18 of his home runs in the past 32 games, including six in his last eight. Oklahoma scored four runs in the fourth inning to break a 3-3 tie. Kyle Branch hit a two-run single with two outs.
Jason Walk followed with an RBI single, and Camden Johnson added another single to make the score 7-3. 31 ERA. DeCaro was removed after the fourth inning.
Cord Rager allowed three runs in the first inning before settling down. Gavin Jones relieved Rager to start the sixth inning, and LJ Mercurius pitched the final 1⅔ innings.
The Sooners hit 28 home runs in 11 NCAA tournament games and 10 in four College World Series games. Carter French made a defensive play in the third inning, catching a drive to deep right field with his glove lodged under the fence padding. Oklahoma won national baseball titles in 1951 and 1994.
The Sooners will play for their third championship on Sunday. North Carolina will try to force a deciding Game 3 on Monday.
