College World Series | UNC eliminated with 9-5 loss to Florida State

Connor Hults pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief to thwart North Carolina's comeback bid, and Jaxson West and Max Williams hit back-to-back homers in the ninth for insurance as Florida State beat the Tar Heels 9-5 in an elimination game at the College World Series on Tuesday.

The Seminoles (49-16) will play No. 1 national seed Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon. They would have to beat the Volunteers then and again Thursday to reach the finals for the first time since 1999.

The Tar Heels (48-16) lost consecutive games for the first time since mid-April and went 1-2 in their first CWS since 2018.

Though FSU and North Carolina are both from the Atlantic Coast Conference, this was their first meeting since the Tar Heels swept a three-game series to end the 2022 regular season.

Florida State led 3-1 after chasing both Aidan Haugh (4-3) and Matthew Matthijs in the third inning. The Tar Heels called on Dalton Pence, who extended his NCAA Tournament shutout innings streak to 14 1/3 innings before five singles in six at-bats led to four runs in the fifth inning, giving the Seminoles a 7-1 lead.

North Carolina scored four runs in the bottom half. With two runners on, Vance Honeycutt greeted Conner Whittaker with his fourth homer in five games, and Jackson Van De Brake followed with an RBI single to make it a two-run game.

Hults (3-1) got the last out of the inning and retired 12 of 15 batters in his longest outing of the season. He never was in trouble. Honeycutt singled leading off the seventh but was erased in a rundown between first and second. After Van De Brake doubled in the eighth, Hults coaxed two groundouts. He walked Alex Madera to start the ninth but sandwiched a strikeout between two groundouts to end the game.

West, the No. 9 batter for FSU, had a career-high four hits in five at-bats. His homer was his second in four games and just his third of the season.

Williams hit his fifth homer in eight NCAA tournament games and has 14 for the season.

The Associated Press contributed.

The ninth-inning magic ran out for UNC in the NCAA baseball playoffs.

Florida State wins 9-5 and eliminates North Carolina.

In the bottom of the ninth, Alex Madera walked to give the Heels some hope. Colby Wilkerson grounded out on a force play with Medera out at second base,

Then up came Vance Honeycutt, who has been Mr. Clutch for UNC and leads the NCAA tournament with six home runs. But after starting the at-bat by taking two balls, Honeycutt eventually struck out.

It seemed inevitable then that there would be no more late heroics and indeed Casey Cook grounded out to second and the run was over for the Heels.

It's become a familiar theme for UNC baseball.

Backs against the wall with three outs left.

After the Heels cut the lead to 7-5, Florida State hit back-to-back- home runs in the top of the ninth inning to extend its margin to 9-5.

Jaxson West and Max Williams each went yard for the Seminoles to lead off the inning.

On to the bottom of the ninth, where UNC will have to muster four runs to stave off elimination.

Florida State maintains a 7-4 lead against UNC in a College World Series elimination game Tuesday.

The Seminoles jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against North Carolina, then added four more runs in the top of the fifth for a 7-1 lead.

Just as the Noles appeared in total control, the Heels, as they have done all postseason, have fought back in the bottom of the fifth. Vance Honeycutt unloaded a three-run home run that scored Alex Madera and Colby Wilkerson.

The Heels then brought the tying run to the plate with two outs after Parks Harber singled and Anthony Donofrio walked

Jackson Van De Brake then brought the Heels a little closer with a single that scored Harber and moved Donofrio to second.

Luke Stevenson now represents the go-ahead run but he grounds out up the middle to end the threat.

Still, we have a game again. 7-5 FSU after five innings.