Tar Heels win, force rematch with Beavers

North Carolina powered its way back to the College World Series finals, hitting four home runs to support Adam Warren and two relievers in a 7-4 victory over Rice on Thursday night.

The Tar Heels beat Rice twice in two days to win their bracket for the second consecutive year. They will play defending champion Oregon State in only the second finals rematch in the CWS’ 61-year history. Arizona State and USC met in 1972 and 1973.

“We’re all exhausted, for one, and elated,” North Carolina Coach Mike Fox said. “To say we’re playing for the national championship again is really kind of surreal right now. I owe a lot to my players for just how resilient they are.”

It was a replay of last year’s CWS for the Owls.

Rice won its first two games in 2006, then went home after being shut out twice by Oregon State.

North Carolina (57-14), which has an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 70 home runs in 71 games, had only one in 13 postseason games before Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Rice (56-14).

“A lot of people -- whether they mean to or not -- are going to try to make us feel like we blew it or we succumbed to pressure, all those things,” Rice first baseman Joe Savery said.

“That’s just not true. Yeah, it’s disappointing to go out like that. But top three in the country isn’t bad.”