Tar Heels take home regional

First was the seventh-inning curtain call for North Carolina Daniel Bard, whose final pitch hit 94 mph and left Winthrop star Jacob Dempsey flailing his bat at air. Then it was time to salute reliever Jonathan Hovis, a senior and leader on a Tar Heels team that's topped 40 wins all four of his seasons. Stellar pitching was the difference between the Tar Heels and the rest of the field in the Chapel Hill Regional, as the hosts cruised to three convincing wins, clinching the championship with a 14-2 win against Winthrop on Sunday. (Charlotte Observer)