The North Carolina Tar Heels bounced back from a Game 1 loss by defeating the Oklahoma Sooners 6-2 in Game 2 of the College World Series championship.
Following Saturday’s loss, head coach Scott Forbes explained North Carolina’s mindset heading into Game 2.
Forbes’ Thoughts
- “Yeah, of course, I’ve already done that,” Forbes said. “It’s a weekend series. I just talked to them, I said you’ve got to forget this one just like we forget all of them, win or losses. That’s being process-oriented and don’t let outcomes be distractions.”
- “I told them before, you’re playing a weekend series and we’re trying to do what we’ve done really well and win the series,” Forbes continued. “Unfortunately, we lost game one, and that’s a stinker. But again, you’ve got to win two.”
- “And we were in a really tough spot against a really good Southern Cal team,” Forbes explained. “And we found a way. So, you know, I have a lot of confidence in these guys, and we’ll go about our business the same way we’ve been doing it all year.”
With that being said, here are decisions and key plays that led to the Tar Heels evening the championship series at one game apiece, with a decisive Game 3 set for Monday.
Manager’s Decisions
Oklahoma has been one of the hottest offenses in the nation since the beginning of the postseason. That was evident again on Saturday, as the Sooners scored nine runs, teeing off on Jason DeCaro, with seven runs in the first four innings. Despite that, Forbes stuck with his pitcher rotation, starting Ryan Lynch.
Initially, Lynch struggled and allowed two runs in the first inning. However, the sophomore pitcher recovered with four solid innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out five batters. Forbes then sent Caden Glauber in to relieve, who threw five scoreless innings and added another eight strikeouts. Overall, Forbes has been masterful at pushing all the right buttons, which is a major component of being a baseball manager.
Key Moments
As mentioned, the Sooners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and took that lead into the third inning. Jake Schaffner singlehandedly propelled North Carolina into the lead, hitting a two-run triple, which he followed up by scoring himself on a wild pitch…