Calhoun leads rally with a grand slam

Kole Calhoun hit a tying grand slam in the fifth inning and a go-ahead double in the seventh, and Arizona State erased a four-run deficit in a 12-5 victory over North Carolina at the College World Series on Thursday.

Calhoun has homered in each of the Sun Devils’ College World Series games and has driven in 10 runs.

Arizona State (51-13), seeded fifth nationally, plays No. 1 Texas tonight. The Sun Devils have to win that game and another Saturday against the Longhorns to advance to next week’s best-of-three finals. North Carolina finished 48-18.

Josh Spence (10-1) gave up seven hits and four runs, three earned, in seven innings. Colin Bates (4-4) took the loss in relief of Matt Harvey, who threw a College World Series-record four wild pitches.

Harvey’s control problems caught up to the Tar Heels in the fifth. He was pulled in favor of Brian Moran after hitting Jason Kipnis and walking Carlos Ramirez to load the bases.

Calhoun, the first batter to face Moran, slugged a 3-and-2 pitch into the seats 390 feet away in right-center field to tie it at 4-4.

Calhoun’s homer was his 12th of the season and second off Moran. Calhoun tagged Moran for a three-run homer in the 10th inning in Arizona State’s 5-2 win Sunday.

North Carolina’s usually dependable pitching melted in the muggy 92-degree heat. Harvey, making his third career College World Series start, walked five and hit two batters.

Harvey and six other Carolina pitchers combined to walk 10, hit four batters and throw five wild pitches.

Arizona State sent 13 to the plate in an eight-run seventh inning that Calhoun started with his two-run double.