OMAHA (Interstat) — The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 13-2 on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, in a playoff game that evened the series between the two teams.

Oklahoma took an early lead in the top of the second inning. Dayton Tockey singled, then Kyle Branch singled to right field, driving in Dasan Harris to put the Sooners ahead 1-0. A wild pitch allowed Tockey to score, making it 2-0. The Sooners added a run in the third inning when Jaxon Willits doubled and later scored on a single by Brandon Brock.

North Carolina got on the board in the bottom of the third. After a single by Schaffner and a walk to Hull, Gavin Gallaher singled up the middle to drive in Schaffner, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Oklahoma pitcher Nick Wesloski left the game after 2 1/3 innings of work, allowing one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts. LJ Mercurius relieved him and shut down the Tar Heels.

The Sooners broke the game open in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Lachance drew a walk to force in Branch. Willits then singled through the right side, driving in two more runs to make it 6-1. Oklahoma added a run in the fifth when Tockey homered to right field.

North Carolina answered in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Nunez singled, advanced to third on a Schaffner single, and scored on a Hull single that also moved Schaffner to third. The Tar Heels trailed 7-2.

Oklahoma put the game away in the top of the eighth. After a walk and a fielder’s choice, Brock walked and Harris singled to drive in Gambill. Then Branch hit a three-run home run to left field, his second home run of the game, scoring Harris and Brock to make it 11-2. Branch finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and six RBIs.

Mercurius pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit relief, allowing one earned run while striking out five. Jackson Cleveland pitched a perfect ninth inning with three strikeouts to close the game.

Oklahoma’s record improved to 43-23, while North Carolina fell to 54-14-1. The teams split the two-game series in Omaha, with North Carolina winning 6-2 on Sunday and Oklahoma winning 9-3 on Saturday. The Sooners’ pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts and allowed only 10 hits, while Oklahoma’s offense produced 14 hits.

The top star for Oklahoma was Kyle Branch, who had been 0-for-3 in the previous game but rebounded with three hits and six RBIs. Jaxon Willits also had three hits and two RBIs for the Sooners.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Oklahoma 8, North Carolina 7, and Interstat’s ELO system had given North Carolina a 62.9 percent probability to win the game.