Davidson upsets No. 2 national seed UNC 8-4 in NCAA opener

Giddy and ready to play, Fox said on Wednesday he was ready to put the NCAA tournament stickers back on the outfield wall before the beginning of the NCAA tournament.

Let's take a moment to GO FULL CAPS IN SUPPORT OF THE DAVIDSON WILDCATS, WHO WON THREE STRAIGHT GAMES, INCLUDING TWO OVER HOST AND NO. 2 OVERALL SEED NORTH CAROLINA TO ADVANCE TO THIS YEAR'S SUPER REGIONAL ROUND. None as in 0-2 for Carolina against the A-10 Conference champions but not considered a serious threat to beat UNC twice at the Bosh; it turned out to be one of the most devastating defeats in the Diamond Heels' own history.

For that reason - the reality that UNC was truly one of the most talented teams in the nation - the Tar Heels' season could seem like a missed opportunity. They had won 18 of 19 against Davidson under Fox before Friday. Xavier did much of its damage in its initial at-bat with seven unearned runs off two Oklahoma two errors, while starter Kyle Tyler (0-3) hit three batters. Zack Gahagan followed with a single to right, appearing to tie the game as Riley attempted to score. There was a play at the plate, with catcher Jake Sidwell diving to tag Brandon Riley after Riley missed the plate with his hand as he slid past.

But like the Chanticleers, Davidson features a roster built around a core of talented seniors, including first-team All-Atlantic 10 right fielder Will Robertson, first baseman Brian Fortier and pitching ace O'Linger. But O'Linger held on in a close play for the final out.

"The way the game ended, with the play at the late and the bang-bang play at first, that's going to be talked about forever", Wildcats coach Dick Cooke said.

O'Linger needed another 34 pitches to get through two innings Sunday.

The Wildcats from the 2,000-student private school 20 minutes from Charlotte, North Carolina, became the sixth No. 4 regional seed ever to advance to a Super Regional.

Davidson had never been to a regional, let alone won one, before arriving at UNC on Friday.

Beside Davidson and Cal State Fullerton, which advanced to supers on Saturday by beating Stanford, four other programs moved on on Sunday, including No. 1 national seed Oregon State, which beat upstart Yale 8-1 to close out the Corvallis Regional. The Tar Heels (49-14) showed shades all season of a 2013 team that won a school-record 59 games and made a run to the College World Series. The Beavers will host Clemson or Vanderbilt in a super regional.

Trailing 4-0 against the Terrapins, WVU scored once in the sixth inning and trailed 4-3 after seven innings. Mississippi State lost 6-3 to South Alabama. Sophomore Clayton Harp drove in four runs for the Bearkats, who had 14 hits to beat the Red Raiders.

"So, you know, in the fall, I thought, 'I think it's about time we take these things off'". There's some who say if we don't get deep into Omaha it's a disappointing year.

- Oral Roberts' Michael Huntgate went 4 for 4 with a home run and five RBIs for Oral Roberts.

Nate Sterijevski drove in four runs, while TJ Densmore and Anthony Maldonado combined on 7.2 innings of shutout relief.

"I told them before the game that I liked where we're at", 10th-year Holy Cross coach Greg Dicenzo said. I've been here for five years and this is by far the most potential we've had as a team.

Texas Southern's Charles Guillory (23) is greeted by Gaudencio Lucca (21) after scoring on an RBI-double in the second inning of an NCAA college baseball tournament regional game against Rice in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Ju.