The underdogs once again reigned in Sunday’s early games of the NCAA baseball super regionals.
Notre Dame won the decisive Game 3 against top-seeded Tennessee, Arkansas edged No. 10 seed North Carolina, Oklahoma routed No. 4 seed Virginia Tech, and Ole Miss blanked No. 11 seed Southern Miss as the super regionals continued at seven sites across the country.
For Notre Dame, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, the next stop is Omaha, Nebraska, after those teams joined Texas A&M in clinching spots in the College World Series. The No. 5 seed Aggies clinched their spot Saturday by sweeping Louisville, but none of the four Sunday winners are national seeds, meaning underdogs will be well represented this year in Omaha.
The Fighting Irish beat Tennessee 7-3 to win the best-of-three super regional series 2-1 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Notre Dame rallied from a 3-1 deficit by scoring six runs in the late innings — three in the seventh and three in the eighth.
Arkansas nipped the Tar Heels 4-3 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to sweep their series. The game was knotted 2-2 heading into the ninth. In the top half, North Carolina’s Patrick Alvarez drove in a run with a single to put the Tar Heels up 3-2. But the Razorbacks scored on a fielder’s choice and then won it on Brady Slavens’ single that scored Peyton Stovall.
Oklahoma won its series against Virginia Tech 2-1 by racking up 15 hits in an 11-2 drubbing in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Sooners went up for good in the fourth inning and they scored runs in all but two innings.
Ole Miss finished off a sweep of Southern Miss with a 5-0 shutout. The Rebels did not allow a run in two games against the Golden Eagles, winning 10-0 on Saturday.
Three CWS spots are still to be determined.
In Sunday’s other games …
• No. 9 seed Texas led No. 8 seed East Carolina 9-1 in the second inning of a Game 3 that was delayed for much of the day in Greenville, North Carolina. That game is being televised on ESPNU.
• No. 2 seed Stanford rolled past UConn 8-2 to tie their series at 1-1 and force a decisive Game 3 on Monday.
• No. 3 seed Oregon State led 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth against Auburn in Game 2 of the Corvallis Super Regional. Jacob Melton homered to put the Beavers on the board, and then Travis Bazzana also blasted a solo shot. The Tigers won 7-5 in Game 1 on Saturday night, but Oregon State had ace Cooper Hjerpe back for Game 2 after he missed his scheduled start Saturday because of an illness. Game 2 is being televised on ESPN2.
NCAA BASEBALL SUPER REGIONALS
Best of three; x-if necessary
All times Pacific
Knoxville Super Regional
At Lindsey Nelson Stadium | Knoxville, Tennessee
(1) Tennessee (57-9) vs. Notre Dame (40-15)
Game 1: Notre Dame 8, Tennessee 6; Notre Dame leads series 1-0
Game 2: Tennessee 12, Notre Dame 4; series tied 1-1
Game 3: Notre Dame 7, Tennessee 3; Notre Dame advances to College World Series
Greenville Super Regional
At Clark-LeClair Stadium | Greenville, North Carolina
(8) East Carolina (46-20) vs. (9) Texas (46-20)
Game 1: East Carolina 13, Texas 7; East Carolina leads series 1-0
Game 2: Texas 9, East Carolina 8; series tied 1-1
Game 3: 1 p.m. Sunday, June 12 (ESPN2)
College Station Super Regional
At Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park | College Station, Texas
(5) Texas A&M (42-18) vs. (12) Louisville (42-21-1)
Game 1: Texas A&M 5, Louisville 4; Texas A&M leads series 1-0
Game 2: Texas A&M 4, Louisville 3; Texas A&M advances to College World Series
Blacksburg Super Regional
At English Field | Blacksburg, Virginia
(4) Virginia Tech (45-14) vs. Oklahoma (42-22)
Game 1: Oklahoma 5, Virginia Tech 4; Oklahoma leads series 1-0
Game 2: Virginia Tech 14, Oklahoma 8; series tied 1-1
Game 3: Oklahoma 11, Virginia Tech 2; Oklahoma advances to College World Series
Stanford Super Regional
At Klein Field at Sunken Diamond | Stanford, California
(2) Stanford (46-16) vs. UConn (50-15)
Game 1: UConn 13, Stanford 12; UConn leads series 1-0
Game 2: Stanford 8, UConn 2; series tied 1-1
Game 3: TBD Monday, June 13 (TBD)
Chapel Hill Super Regional
At Boshamer Stadium | Chapel Hill, North Carolina
(10) North Carolina (42-22) vs. Arkansas (43-19)
Game 1: Arkansas 4, North Carolina 1; Arkansas leads series 1-0
Game 2: Arkansas 4, North Carolina 3; Arkansas advances to College World Series
Hattiesburg Super Regional
At Pete Taylor Park | Hattiesburg, Mississippi
(11) Southern Miss (47-19) vs. Ole Miss (37-22)
Game 1: Ole Miss 10, Southern Miss 0; Ole Miss leads series 1-0
Game 2: Ole Miss 5, Southern Miss 0; Ole Miss advances to College World Series
Corvallis Super Regional
At Goss Stadium at Coleman Field | Corvallis, Oregon
(3) Oregon State (47-17) vs. (14) Auburn (41-19)
Game 1: Auburn 7, Oregon State 5; Auburn leads series 1-0
Game 2: 7 p.m. Sunday, June 12 (ESPN2)
x-Game 3: TBD Monday, June 13 (TBD)