North Carolina
Virginia vs. North Carolina Live Updates | College World Series
No. 12 Virginia (46-16) suffered a walk-off 3-2 loss to No. 4 North Carolina (48-14) in the opening game of the 2024 College World Series on Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. See a full play-by-play and live analysis for the game in the thread below.
Read a recap of the game here: North Carolina Walks Off Virginia 3-2 in Opening Game of College World Series
Note: most recent updates are at the top of the page in reverse chronological order. Refresh the page for updates.
Bottom of the 9th
Jackson Van De Brake pinch hits for UNC and hits a line drive down the right field line for a leadoff double. North Carolina has the game-winning run on second base with no outs.
Madera lays down a bunt to third and Hanson makes the throw to record the out, but Van De Brake moves to third and the Tar Heels have the game-winning run 90 feet from home plate.
Wilkerson hits a pop-up behind home plate and Ference makes the catch for the second out.
Hungate hangs a 2-1 pitch to Vance Honeycutt and he drills it into left field for a walk-off RBI single.
North Carolina wins 3-2.
Top of the 9th
O’Ferrall flies out to center field to start the ninth.
Anderson hits a fly ball to center, a little deeper than O’Ferrall’s, but still not a problem for Honeycutt for the second out.
Saucke hits a sharp grounder up the middle and Madera was positioned perfectly in the shift to make the play.
UVA 2, UNC 2 | Mid 9th
Bottom of the 8th
Couple of defensive substitutions for Virginia: Aidan Teel replaces Harrison Didawick in left field and Hanson takes over at third for Becker.
Donofrio grounds out to second.
Gallaher grounds out to shortstop.
Stevenson hits a fly ball down the right field line and Aidan Teel makes the catch to end the inning.
We head to the ninth with the score still tied 2-2.
UVA 2, UNC 2 | End 8th
Top of the 8th
Henry Godbout flies out to center field.
Virginia pinch hits Luke Hanson for Eric Becker.
Pence falls behind Hanson 3-0 and then battles back and catches Hanson looking at a called strike three on the outside corner.
Whalen flies out to center field for the final out of the inning. Pence has retired seven of the eight Virginia batters he has faced.
UVA 2, UNC 2 | Mid 8th
Bottom of the 7th
Madera hits a sharp grounder to third base and it gets past Becker into left field for a leadoff single.
Wilkerson lays down a good bunt and Blanco gloves it to first for the out. Madera moves to second.
Honeycutt hits a pop-up into foul territory, but Saucke and Ford both watch it fall between them. It doesn’t end up costing Virginia, as Blanco gets Honeycutt to ground out to short on the 10th pitch of the at-bat.
Casey Cook singles to left field and Didawick yanks his throw towards the third-base dugout when there could’ve been a play at the plate. Cook reaches second and Madera scores from second to tie the game at 2-2. It goes down as a single for Cook and an error on Didawick.
That’ll do it for Evan Blanco, who exits the game with a statline of 6.2 innings, two runs on seven hits and four strikeouts. He is replaced by righty Chase Hungate (3.71 ERA), who will face Parks Harber with a runner on second base with two outs.
Hungate gets Harber to hit a grounder to short and O’Ferrall makes a nice throw on the run to first to end the inning, but UNC has tied the game up on Cook’s RBI single.
UVA 2, UNC 2 | End 7th
Top of the 7th
Saucke swings at the first pitch and flies out to right field.
Ford hits a deep fly ball to right-center and Donofrio makes the catch for the second out.
Dalton Pence grazes Ference on shoulder with his 1-2 pitch and Ference is on base with two outs.
Ference steals second and gets in just ahead of the tag.
Didawick strikes out swinging to end the inning and Ference is stranded at second.
UVA 2, UNC 1 | Mid 7th
Bottom of the 6th
Gallaher hits a line drive to left field and Didawick is there to make the catch.
Stevenson hits a line drive to right field and Saucke makes the catch for the second out.
Blanco strikes out Osuna swinging to end the inning. Evan Blanco has four strikeouts today and three of them have come against Alberto Osuna. Blanco is through six innings and sits at 80 pitches.
UVA 2, UNC 1 | End 6th
Top of the 6th
Godbout draws a leadoff walk to start the sixth.
Eric Becker drives one to left field and it gets to the wall. It’s a double for Becker and UVA has runners on second and third with no outs.
Poston strikes out Whalen swinging for a crucial first out.
O’Ferrall swings at the first pitch and hits a fly ball to center field. Honeycutt makes the catch, but it’s plenty deep enough to score Godbout to give Virginia a 2-1 lead.
UNC makes a pitching change, pulling Poston in favor of lefty Dalton Pence (2.04 ERA), who will face Ethan Anderson with a runner on third and two outs.
Anderson swings at the first pitch and grounds out to first to end the inning. Pence needs just one pitch to strand Becker at third, but Virginia takes the lead on O’Ferrall’s sacrifice fly.
UVA 2, UNC 1 | Mid 6th
Bottom of the 5th
Honeycutt lays down a surprise bunt and Henry Ford makes a great play, fielding the ball and tagging Honeycutt as he slid headfirst into the bag.
Blanco strikes out Cook swinging with a high fastball for the second out.
Blanco hits his spot on a full-count change-up, but home plate ump Scott Cline calls it ball four and Harber reaches with a two-out walk. The entire UVA defense made a move towards the dugout thinking that was a strike.
Blanco recovers quickly and gets Donofrio to hit a grounder to second and Godbout gets the easy out at second to end the inning. Blanco is through five innings and sits at 70 pitches.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | End 5th
Top of the 5th
Saucke is patient and draws a leadoff walk to start the fifth.
Jason DeCaro’s day is done. UNC makes a pitching change, replacing DeCaro (4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 6 K, 4 BB) with righty Matt Poston (5.25 ERA), who will face Henry Ford.
Ford flies out to center field for the first out of the inning.
Ference hits a deep fly to right field and Donofrio makes the catch at the warning track.
Didawick grounds out to first base to end the inning. Poston enters the game and retires the first three batters he faces to erase Saucke’s leadoff walk.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | Mid 5th
Bottom of the 4th
Stevenson loops a base hit into right field for a leadoff single.
Blanco strikes out Osuna for the second time today.
Madera hits a slow grounder to short and O’Ferrall gets the out at second, but Godbout’s throw to first isn’t in time to get Madera, who is safe at first with two outs.
Wilkerson grounds out to shortstop to end the inning. Blanco is through four innings and currently sits at 57 pitches.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | End 4th
Top of the 4th
Henry Godbout hits a line drive into center field for a leadoff single.
Becker hits a grounder to second and just barely avoids the double play by beating out the throw.
Whalen strikes out swinging, DeCaro’s sixth strikeout of the game.
O’Ferrall works a five-pitch walk and UVA has runners on first and second with two outs.
Anderson hits a grounder to third and Gallaher tags Becker for the final out. DeCaro gives up a couple more baserunners, but gets out of it to keep the game tied. He sits at 84 pitches through four innings.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | Mid 4th
Bottom of the 3rd
Honeycutt flies out to center field and is retired by Blanco for the second time.
Cook rips a line drive into the right-field corner and it one-hops over the wall for a ground-rule double. Cook is 2 for 2 today with a single and a double.
Blanco walks Harber and UNC has runners on first and second with one out. Drew Dickinson pays a visit to Blanco on the pitcher’s mound.
Donofrio hits a pop-up to shallow left and O’Ferrall makes the catch for the second out.
Gallaher flies out to center field to end the inning.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | End 3rd
Top of the 3rd
O’Ferrall flies out to right field to start the third.
Anderson hits a sharp grounder to the right of second base for a one-out single.
Saucke hits a high bouncer to third base and it goes just over the glove of Gallaher and down the left field line. Anderson gets to third and Saucke reaches second with a double.
Henry Ford fights off an inside pitch and hits a bloop single into shallow right field for an RBI single, scoring Anderson from third to tie the game at 1-1.
Ference strikes out swinging for the second out.
Didawick flies out to left to end the inning, but the Cavaliers tie the game on Ford’s RBI single.
UVA 1, UNC 1 | Mid 3rd
Bottom of the 2nd
Luke Stevenson swings at the first pitch and beats the shift with a grounder to the left of second base.
Evan Blanco hits the inside corner to strike out Alberto Osuna looking for his first strikeout of the game.
Alex Madera hits a grounder to short and UVA tries to turn two, but Madera beats it out to keep the inning going.
Colby Wilkerson flies out to right field to end the inning.
UVA 0, UNC 1 | End 2nd
Top of the 2nd
Henry Godbout swings at sweeping curve ball well outside the zone and goes down on strikes.
Eric Becker watches a called strike three and DeCaro has his fourth strikeout of the game.
Bobby Whalen grounds out to short and it’s an easy 1-2-3 inning for DeCaro using only 11 pitches.
UVA 0, UNC 1 | Mid 2nd
Bottom of the 1st
Evan Blanco gets Vance Honeycutt to hit a soft grounder to first and Griff O’Ferrall makes the play for the out.
Casey Cook hits a line drive that drops into center field for a one-out single.
Parks Harber rips a line drive down the left field line for a double. Cook hits the brakes at third but UNC has runners on second and third with one out.
Anthony Donofrio grounds out to second, but Cook comes in to score to give UNC a 1-0 lead.
Gavin Gallaher flies out to center field to end the inning. Blanco uses half the pitches DeCaro used to get through the first, but the Tar Heels strike first.
UVA 0, UNC 1 | End 1st
Top of the 1st
Griff O’Ferrall falls behind 0-2, but fouls off a couple and then gets hit by a pitch from DeCaro to give Virginia a leadoff baserunner.
Ethan Anderson waves at a high fastball and goes down swinging for the first out of the game.
Casey Saucke works a five-pitch walk and UVA has runners on first and second with one out.
Henry Ford swings at the first pitch and drives it deep to right field, but Anthony Donofrio makes the catch at the warning track. O’Ferrall tags up and advances to third.
Jacob Ference battles back from down 0-2 to draw a walk and the bases are loaded with two outs.
Harrison Didawick strikes out swinging to end the inning. Jason DeCaro throws 30 pitches in the first inning, but puts a zero on the board to start the game.
UVA 0, UNC 0 | Mid 1st
Virginia Starting Lineup
SS Griff O’Ferrall (.332)
DH Ethan Anderson (.333)
RF Casey Saucke (.343)
1B Henry Ford (.339)
C Jacob Ference (.354)
LF Harrison Didawick (.297)
2B Henry Godbout (.370)
3B Eric Becker (.363)
CF Bobby Whalen (.370)
SP: LHP Evan Blanco (3.69 ERA)
North Carolina Starting Lineup
CF Vance Honeycutt (.314)
LF Casey Cook (.339)
1B Parks Harber (.341)
RF Anthony Donofrio (.338)
3B Gavin Gallaher (.337)
C Luke Stevenson (.283)
DH Alberto Osuna (.385)
2B Alex Madera (.301)
SS Colby Wilkerson (.282)
SP: RHP Jason DeCaro (3.89 ERA)
The winner of this game will take on the winner of No. 1 Tennessee/No. 8 Florida State (Friday at 7pm) in the winner’s bracket game on Sunday at 7pm, while the losers of the two games will play an elimination game on Sunday at 2pm. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida State will play a regional-style, double-elimination tournament until one team is left standing to advance to the CWS finals.
Today’s game is set to start at 2pm and will be televised on ESPN.
The umpires for today’s game are Scott Cline (HP), Mike Morris (1B), Kellen Levy (2B), and David Uyl (3B).
Read a full preview of Virginia baseball at the 2024 College World Series here: PREVIEW: Virginia Baseball Opens 2024 College World Series vs. UNC Friday
See score updates for every game of the 2024 College World Series here.
North Carolina
Eastern North Carolina law enforcement agencies warn residents about growing scam threats
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — Law enforcement agencies across eastern North Carolina are warning residents to stay alert as several scams continue targeting seniors, bank customers, and other vulnerable individuals.
The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office recently issued a warning after a suspicious check was mailed to a person living with dementia. Deputies say scammers often target older adults by sending fraudulent checks in hopes the recipient will deposit the money and become entangled in a financial scam.
Officials are urging families to regularly check on elderly relatives and remind them never to cash or deposit unexpected checks. Residents are encouraged to contact their bank or law enforcement before taking any action if they receive suspicious financial documents.
Meanwhile, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office says a jury duty scam is resurfacing throughout the county. In these cases, scammers pose as law enforcement officers or court officials and claim a person missed jury duty or failed to appear in court. Victims are told a warrant has been issued for their arrest and are pressured to send money to avoid being taken into custody.
Deputies warn that scammers often use official-looking documents, government seals, and even the names of real law enforcement officers to make the scheme appear legitimate. The sheriff’s office stresses that deputies will never call, email, or text someone demanding payment.
The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office is also warning residents about a call forwarding scam designed to steal banking verification calls and security codes. Investigators say scammers contact victims claiming there is suspicious activity on their bank account and instruct them to dial special star codes followed by a phone number.
By doing so, victims unknowingly activate call forwarding, allowing bank security calls and verification codes to be redirected to the scammer’s phone.
Authorities recommend never dialing star codes at the request of a stranger, never sharing passwords or security codes, and always contacting banks directly using trusted phone numbers.
Law enforcement agencies say a common theme in many scams is creating a sense of urgency and fear. Officials encourage residents to slow down, verify information independently, and report suspicious activity before sending money or sharing personal information.
North Carolina
Audit finds more than $47M in fraudulent unemployment payments in NC over 5-year period
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than $47 million in fraudulent unemployment payments went out the door in North Carolina over a five-year period, according to a new state audit that also flagged delays in getting benefits to claimants.
The State Auditor’s Office found the North Carolina Division of Employment Security distributed $47.2 million in fraudulent unemployment payments between 2021 and 2025.
“North Carolina had an abysmal rate of recovery and issuing payments that were not appropriate,” State Auditor Dave Boliek said. “Many of them were outright fraudulent.”
According to Boliek, NCDES has recovered about $12.2 million of those funds, but the rest is likely gone forever.
“Once you have a fraudulent transaction and [those funds] are out the door, timing is important to recovering those funds,” he said. “You need to get on it quick in order to get that money back. Otherwise, tracking those dollars down is virtually impossible at this point.”
NCDES Assistant Secretary Marc-Antoine Keith pushed back, saying they are working to recover the money, no matter how long it takes.
“We’re going to be recovering it this year, next year, five years from now,” he said. “We don’t have a timeline. This is not something that we just write off and say, ‘You’re good.’ We’re in the heart of it right now.”
NCDES officials also noted the fraud identified in the audit amounts to less than 1% of the more than $5 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the same period.
According to NCDES, roughly $40 million of the fraudulent payments happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when unemployment claims surged and the state was tasked with administering enhanced federal benefits of $600 per week.
Keith said the department received 1 million claims in just 10 weeks. By comparison, NCDES typically handles about 3,000 to 3,500 claims a week.
“The $600 put North Carolina at a higher profile for bad actors coming into the system,” he said. “We also were under tremendous pressure to get money out the door. Pay, pay, pay, pay, pay. That was the message from the federal government.”
Boliek questioned why it took the agency years to fully implement a federally funded fraud detection system. He said NCDES received a federal grant to strengthen fraud prevention efforts but did not fully deploy the system for three years.
“The pandemic is not an excuse for government’s failure to monitor the expenditure of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Keith disputed that characterization, pointing to staffing shortages, competing priorities, and Hurricane Helene as reasons for the delay.
“The reality is that we only have so many hands,” he said. “As we got going with this process, then the hurricane came in.”
According to Keith, the fraud detection system was rolled out in phases between April and December 2024 rather than all at once.
The audit also identified problems with delayed payments. According to the report, 28% of initial unemployment payments went out after the federal 14-day benchmark.
“That’s just not acceptable,” Boliek said. “We’ve got to do better than that.
According to Boliek, delays can have serious consequences for families relying on unemployment benefits after losing a job.
“When you’re unemployed or you get laid off, that’s when your family is in a traumatic situation,” he said. “You need to be able to rely on the state to answer the call there and get your benefits to you.”
Keith acknowledged there is still room for improvement but said DES has made progress since the period covered by the audit.
“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re a heck of a lot closer than where we were,” Keith said.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Many Father’s Day events were held across western North Carolina, celebrating fathers, including at Highland Brewing, where a market was held.
Over 100 vendors applied to set up for the event on the longest day of the year.
ASHEVILLE GETS A BUZZ ON AT HIGHLAND BREWING AS HONEYFEST CELEBRATES POLLINATORS
Event coordinator Monica Maybille says it’s important to treat fathers to a little gift.
“It’s your dad. You gotta get stuff for your dad. They do a lot for you, so you got to treat them to a little treat sometimes,” Maybille said.
HIGHLAND BREWING HOSTS TRIBUTE PARTY HONORING LATE FOUNDER OSCAR WONG’S COMMUNITY IMPACT
The event included some dad-themed gifts, including grilling supplies and funny T-shirts.
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The next market at Highland Brewing is planned for August and will focus on back-to-school.
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