Tar Heels win long opener

Omaha, Neb.

It took nearly 41/2 hours in 95-degree heat to play the opening game of the College World Series.

Time flew for North Carolina coach Mike Fox. He was having fun.

The Tar Heels knocked out Oregon State ace Luke Heimlich during a five-run third inning and went on to beat the Beavers 8-6 on Saturday.

"I liked being in the third-base coaching box in the top of the third. Felt I was out there for a while," Fox said. "For me, the more you're out there, the better. I get it. It was a long game. But they're not long for me, and they're not long for the coaches and players. Sometimes it's agonizing for the people watching. We're not trying to drag it out by design."

The Tar Heels (44-18) used six pitchers in a 4-hour, 24-minute slog that was the longest nine-inning game in CWS history. They turned back threats in the sixth and seventh innings and prevailed against an opponent they hadn't faced since losing to the Beavers in the 2006 and '07 CWS finals.

Mississippi State 1, Washington 0: Luke Alexander's drive to right field got past Christian Jones in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing Hunter Stovall to score from second base to give Mississippi State a victory. It was the Bulldogs' third walk-off win, and fourth on their final at-bat, in their past eight NCAA Tournament games. Stovall and Elijah MacNamee singled leading off the ninth against Andy Hardy before Alexander hit an 0-2 pitch to right. Jones was playing shallow and gave chase, but he couldn't catch up to the ball.