Vance Honeycutt's walk-off single pushes Diamond Heels past Virginia in CWS opener

OMAHA, Neb. — Powered by junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, the No. 4-seeded Diamond Heels (48-14) outlasted the No. 12-seeded Virginia Cavaliers (46-16), 3-2, to open the Men’s College World Series on Friday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field. 

Even while going 0-4 before his last at-bat in the final frame, Honeycutt pushed senior pinch hitter Jackson Van De Brake home to walk-off the Cavaliers. 

To begin the game, in his CWS debut, 18-year-old right-handed pitcher Jason DeCaro immediately found trouble. 

After hitting the leadoff batter with a pitch and walking two more in the first inning, the bases were juiced with two outs. 

With Virginia’s left fielder Harrison Didawick up to bat, DeCaro threw a 94 mph heater on a full count to exit the inning. 

"I thought the first inning, the story of the game was the strikeout against Didawick," head coach Scott Forbes said. "I think if they score right there [and] have a big inning, it would be tough [to come back] in this ballpark."

Building on the momentum, the Tar Heels’ bats came alive during their Omaha debut. 

Immediately after redshirt sophomore left fielder Casey Cook singled through center field, senior first baseman Parks Harber followed with a double down the left field line. 

To put UNC on the board, graduate left fielder Anthony Donofrio grounded out to second base to push Cook home for a one-run lead. 

Following a silent second frame, the Cavaliers looked to even the score. 

Virginia’s designated hitter Ethan Anderson singled through the left field side and right fielder Casey Saucke succeeded with a double to third base on the first pitch. 

With players on second and third base, first baseman Henry Ford singled to right field on the first pitch to push Anderson home. 

Exiting the third inning, the game sat tied 1-1. 

In the top of the fifth inning, DeCaro walked Saucke to leadoff. After recording his 89th pitch, Forbes called the bullpen and put junior right-handed pitcher Matt Poston on the mound. 

During the next three at-bats, Virginia went down 1-2-3. 

Virginia worked to take the lead after UNC failed to produce any hits during the bottom of the fifth. 

Following a free pass from Poston to put second baseman Henry Godbout on first, third baseman Eric Becker doubled to left field. 

With only one out, shortstop Griff O’Ferrall hit a sacrifice fly to right center to push Godbout home. 

Following the run, Forbes put redshirt sophomore left-handed pitcher Dalton Pence on the mound. During the next at-bat, Anderson grounded out as Virginia exited the inning with a 2-1 lead. 

"Watching the pitches before me, watching Poston go through his, and just commanding the strike zone and letting my stuff work from inside the strike zone to out of it and just attacking them," Pence said. "That's what I had going for me."

In the bottom of the seventh frame, the Tar Heels found some life. 

"I don't think the moment is too big for anyone," junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt said. "Coach Forbes preaches every single day to stay with the process and that's what we're doing day in, day out."

On the first pitch to leadoff, graduate second baseman Alex Madera singled to left field. After a sacrifice bunt from senior shortstop Colby Wilkerson, Cook singled two at-bats later to bring Madera home. 

Going into the eighth inning, North Carolina sat tied 2-2. 

After the Cavaliers went three up, three down in the ninth, UNC looked to set things in motion. 

On a 2-2 count, Van De Brake doubled down the right-field line. During the next at-bat, Madera hit a sacrifice bunt to third to put Van de Brake in scoring position. 

"Jackson Van De Brake he's one of our captains," Forbes said. "There's a reason this team is like it is. There's a kid, All-ACC last year, [and this year] hasn't gone like he wanted it to, and he steps up there and hits a double."

Two at-bats later, junior center fielder Honeycutt hit a single to left field on a 2-1 count to bring Van De Brake home and secure the Tar Heels' first victory in Omaha. 

"You shouldn't feel like he's going to come through every time, but that's how I felt," Cook said. "And that's just how it's been going recently."

The Diamond Heels will play the winner of No. 1 seed Tennessee-No. 8 Florida State on Sunday. 

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