OMAHA, Neb. (Interstat) — Caden Glauber threw five innings of no-hit relief and Cooper Nicholson homered as North Carolina defeated Oklahoma 6-2 on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Charles Schwab Field in a playoff game that evened the series after the Sooners’ 9-3 win the previous day.

The Tar Heels improved to 54-13-1, while Oklahoma fell to 42-23.

North Carolina starter Ryan Lynch worked the first four innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Oklahoma touched him for both runs in the bottom of the first. J. Walk singled, stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher after C. Johnson stole second and advanced to third on the same miscue. Johnson scored on J. Willits’ double to right-center field, giving the Sooners a 2-0 lead.

The Tar Heels answered in the top of the third. After C. French walked and R. Kellis singled, shortstop Jake Schaffner tripled down the right-field line, scoring both runners to tie the game. Schaffner then scored on a wild pitch, giving North Carolina a 3-2 lead they never relinquished. Schaffner finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

Lynch settled down after the first, retiring nine of the next 11 batters he faced. He exited after four innings with the Tar Heels holding a 3-2 lead.

Glauber took over in the bottom of the fifth and promptly struck out the side. He faced 15 batters over five innings, striking out eight and walking none. The Sooners managed only one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch in the third inning that was erased on a double play. Glauber’s outing lowered his ERA for the postseason after he had thrown 2.1 scoreless innings against West Virginia on June 17 and 0.2 innings against the same opponent on June 14.

North Carolina extended its lead in the seventh. E. Paulsen led off with a double down the left-field line, and Nicholson followed with a home run to left field, his second homer of the game. Nicholson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and also reached on a hit-by-pitch and a walk. He scored twice.

The Tar Heels added an insurance run in the fifth when O. Hull homered to right field with one out. Hull finished 1-for-5 with one RBI.

Oklahoma starter Xander Mercurius took the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs over four innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. Five Sooners relievers combined for three innings, yielding one earned run on two hits. Jason Bodin threw 1.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, and Mason Bixby recorded two outs with one strikeout. Jaden Barfield, Reid Hensley and Trent Collier each worked scoreless appearances, combining for 1.2 innings with two strikeouts.

Oklahoma threatened in the bottom of the ninth. T. Gambill walked and B. Brock walked, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Das. Harris grounded into a game-ending double play, second baseman to first baseman, ending the contest after a replay challenge confirmed the call.

The top star of the game was Glauber, who did not allow a hit and struck out eight over five innings. The most important sequence came in the top of the third when the Tar Heels erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs, highlighted by Schaffner’s two-run triple and his subsequent score on a wild pitch. From that point, North Carolina’s pitching held Oklahoma to two hits over the final six innings.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of North Carolina 8, Oklahoma 7. Interstat’s ELO system gave North Carolina a 61.90 percent probability to win.