**Tar Heels Fall to Oklahoma, Face Winner-Take-All Regional Finale**

North Carolina faced a tough setback in the NCAA baseball tournament on Sunday night in Chapel Hill, as they suffered a 9-5 loss to Oklahoma. Playing at Boshamer Stadium, the Tar Heels encountered an unwelcome sense of déjà vu from last year’s tournament, where they were pushed to the limits in a similar scenario. With this defeat, North Carolina now faces a decisive game against the Sooners at 3 p.m. on Monday for the regional title.

Sunday’s match saw Oklahoma staying alive in the tournament by producing back-to-back victories. The Sooners first dominated Nebraska with a resounding 17-1 win in the afternoon, before staging a pivotal five-run sixth inning to overturn a 3-2 deficit against North Carolina. Drew Dickerson’s critical two-run homer, followed by Jaxon Willits’ two-run double, propelled Oklahoma to a 6-3 lead that they never relinquished.

An opportunity arose for the Tar Heels in the top of the eighth inning when they loaded the bases with no outs, trailing 8-5. However, Oklahoma's reliever, Dylan Crooks, quelled the threat by striking out Carter French, inducing a pop-up from Kane Kepley, and retiring Jackson Van De Brake on a flyout. The home crowd’s rising anticipation was left unmet as the rally fell short.

Previously, the Tar Heels had established control in the regional with stellar pitching performances from Jake Knapp and Jason DeCaro, setting them up for a possible sweep into the super regional round. However, the fifth national seed Tar Heels will now need to secure one more victory to advance in the tournament.

North Carolina entered Sunday’s game on a high, boasting a five-game winning streak and an ACC Tournament title. Standout player Gavin Gallaher continued to impress, tying the game at 1-1 with a 397-foot home run in the fourth inning, and delivering a two-run double in the fifth to put UNC briefly ahead 3-2. Gallaher finished the game 3-for-5, and has been on fire with a 9-for-12 performance across three regional games.

The Tar Heels will need to draw on their resilience and skill to overcome the Sooners in Monday’s decisive clash, hoping to keep their championship aspirations alive.