College World Series: Oregon State all even with North Carolina

OMAHA, Neb. – Bill Rowe's three-run homer capped Oregon State's seven-run fourth inning, and the Beavers forced a deciding game in the championship round of the College World Series with an 11-7 victory over North Carolina on Sunday night.

Oregon State (49-16) and North Carolina (54-14) will play Monday night, with the winner taking home its first national title in baseball.

The Beavers are trying to become the first Pac-10 team to win the College World Series since Southern California in 1998. The Tar Heels hope to become the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to win it since Wake Forest in 1955.

Rowe went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, and closer Kevin Gunderson (3-2) pitched a season-high 5 1-3 relief innings as the Beavers erased an early five-run deficit and ended the Tar Heels' nine-game winning streak.

With Oregon State down 5-0 in the fourth, Tyler Graham drew a leadoff walk and stole third after John Wallace's single. Chris Kunda walked to load the bases, and Shea McFeely followed with a two-run double. Matt Danford (7-2) came on in relief of starter Robert Woodard and struck out Scott Santschi for the first out, but things unraveled quickly for the Tar Heels.

Darwin Barney singled past a diving Reid Fronk at third and Josh Horton at short to make it 5-3. Danford then threw a wild pitch that bounced in front of catcher Tim Federowicz, deflected off his right shin guard and into the Beavers' dugout to force in a run.

Mitch Canham drew a walk, and one out later, Rowe turned on a 2-0 pitch and sent it into the lower level of seats in right field to give Oregon State a 7-5 lead.

The scoring outburst ended a 12 2-3-inning shutout streak in Omaha by the Tar Heels' bullpen. Danford allowed six runs and four hits in 2 1-3 innings.

The Beavers took an 11-5 lead with four more runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Rowe, Graham's run-scoring bunt single, Kunda's sacrifice fly and Federowicz's passed ball that allowed Graham to score.

Federowicz, 4-for-4 with four RBIs, hit a two-run homer off Gunderson — after Jay Cox was hit by a pitch — in the seventh to get the Tar Heels within four.

North Carolina, which has scored 10 of its 11 runs in the championship series with two outs, did it again in the second when Federowicz singled, moved to second on Seth Williams' base hit and scored on Matt Spencer's single to take a 1-0 lead.

North Carolina scored three runs with two outs in the third on Chad Flack's RBI single and Federowicz's two-run double off starter Mike Stutes to take a 4-0 lead.

Fronk's RBI single — also with two outs — in the fourth made it 5-0. Oregon State turned to Gunderson with two outs in the inning, and the closer shut down the Tar Heels.