Super Regional Round Up: Are The NC Teams In The CWS?

Omaha, NE - JUNE 25: A general view of the College World Series logo at TD Ameritrade Park, prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Oregon State Beavers on June 25, 2018 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 25: A general view of the College World Series logo at TD Ameritrade Park, prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Oregon State Beavers on June 25, 2018 at in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Super Regional Round Officially Over, Who From North Carolina Advanced?

The Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament came to an end Monday. We are here to round up all of the action from the East Carolina Pirates, Duke Blue Devils and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

Close But No Cigar for Duke in Super Regional Round

Duke came out of the gate with a 15-hit, 18-run performance in the first game of the Nashville Super Regional against the Vanderbilt Commodores to take game one 18-5. It was a performance that put the Blue Devils one game away from the College Worlds Series for the second straight year.

The Blue Devils’ first chance to make it to Omaha came Saturday night. Commodores pitcher Kumar Rocker came out and gave a legendary performance to help the Commodores even the series with a 3-0 victory.

Rocker became the first pitcher since the Super Regional round was introduced to toss a no-hitter in the round. Rocker also struck out 19 of the 11 Blue Devils batters he faced throughout the evening and struck out the side in the ninth inning. The sophomore was two walks short of having a perfect game.

The Blue Devils would have another chance to advance to their first College World Series in 58-years Sunday but were crushed by the Commodores 13-2 and eliminated from the tournament.

The Blue Devils gave up three home runs and six RBIs before they could get their first run on the board. The Blue Devils gave up five home runs by the end of the game and continued their CWS-drought.

Tar Heels Collapse in Super Regional Round

Despite holding a home-field advantage by hosting a Super Regional, the Tar Heels were eliminated from the Tournament falling 2-1 to the Auburn Tigers.

The Tar Heels got into a hole early losing game one 11-7. The Tar Heels led through most of the game and walked into the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead. Everything fell apart in the final two innings as the Tigers scored nine runs in the final two innings to win the game.

The Tar Heels tied the series up with a solid 2-0 win in game two. The win was highlighted by a lights-out performance by Tar Heels reliever Austin Love, who pitched four and two-thirds innings and threw six strikeouts, no walks and two hits.

Everything unraveled for the Heels Monday, however, they lost 14-7 in game three and were eliminated from the tournament.

While it’s not often the case, the game was decided in the first inning, as the Tar Heels fell behind 13-0 after the first inning. Tar Heels starter Joey Lancelloti threw four straight walks to start the game and was pulled without recording a single out and throwing 16 balls on 20 pitches.

The Tar Heels outscored the Tigers 7-1 through the next eight innings but the deficit was too much to overcome for the Tar Heels.

Pirates Sunk By Louisville in Super Regional Round

The Pirates, as opposed to the other remaining North Carolina Teams, were felled in relatively short order, as the Pirates were swept by the Louisville Cardinals.

Game one initially started well, as the Pirates were tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, but the batters went to work in the next three innings, as the Cardinals outscored the Pirates 11-1 over the next three innings and with ECU ultimately losing 14-1.

Game two was just as disastrous for the Pirates, as the Cardinals soundly defeated them 12-0 to sink the Pirates chances of making it to the College World Series. The Pirates were dismantled over the two games against the Cardinals. The Pirates were outscored 26-1 over two games and were outhit by the Cardinals 32-8 over two games

With all three North Carolina based teams losing over the weekend, it will be the second time in three years no team from the state of North Carolina will be a participant in the College World Series.