USC, North Carolina Baseball Set for Winner-Take-All Super Regional Game 3

Offense has been the driving force throughout USC baseball’s playoff run this season. In the College Station Regional, the Trojans scored 59 runs across five games. And in the super regional opener against North Carolina, a grand slam from Dean Carpentier put USC one win away from the Men’s College World Series.

But on Saturday, No. 4 national seed North Carolina silenced USC’s offense to pull off a 4-0 shutout victory and force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday. Now, USC and North Carolina are each one win away from advancing to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Trojans have not been to the MCWS since 2001 but hold the NCAA record with 12 national championships in program history. The Tar Heels’ most recent appearance was in 2024 but the program has never won a national championship.

North Carolina’s Jason DeCaro Shuts Out USC

North Carolina right-hander Jason DeCaro pitched all nine innings of Saturday’s game against USC. His shutout victory was the first time a Tar Heels pitcher had done so since Brandon Schaeffer accomplished that feat against Virginia Tech in 2022.

The Tar Heels have recorded five shutout wins this season.

Although USC was able to put the ball in play, North Carolina’s defense limited the Trojans to just two hits throughout the game. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels hit a pair of home runs and pair of sacrifice flies to put four runs on the board.

USC ultimately lost 4-0 to North Carolina. The winner-take-all game will be on Sunday at 12 pm PT.

Photo Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

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