UNC vs. Tennessee baseball final score, results: Kavares Tears' four-RBI night powers Vols to College World Series win

One more win separates the Volunteers from a spot in the 2024 College World Series finals. 

No. 1 Tennessee showed exactly why it's the top seed at the tournament in its matchup against No. 4 North Carolina. The Vols quieted the offense of the Tar Heels while flexing their bats in a 6-1 win on Sunday night in Omaha. 

Vols shortstop Kavante Tears drove in four runs on the night, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Designated hitter Reese Chapman added a solo shot for Tennessee, and shortstop Dean Curley brought in the other run. 

MORE: Watch the College World Series live with Fubo (free trial)

Drew Beam was stellar on the bump for Tony Vitello's crew. The right-hander went five-plus innings, with his only blemish being a solo home run to North Carolina center fielder Vance Honeycutt. The bullpen of the Vols shut down any chance of a rally by the Tar Heels, moving to 2-0 at the College World Series. 

With the win, Tennessee puts itself in an excellent position in the bracket. The Vols need just one more win to secure a spot in the championship, which they can do on Wednesday. Their opponent will be the winner of the Florida State-North Carolina elimination game — the two squads that Tennessee already defeated. 

The Sporting News tracked live scores and highlights from Sunday's College World Series game between Tennessee and North Carolina. Follow for updates from the game.

UNC vs. Tennessee baseball score

UNC vs. Tennessee live updates, highlights from College World Series

(All times Eastern)

Final: Tennessee 6, North Carolina 1

10:37 p.m. End top ninth: Snead gets Jackson Van De Brake to fly out to end the game. The Volunteers advance to 2-0 at the College World Series, moving further in the winner's bracket with the win. Tennessee awaits its next opponent while North Carolina has a date with Florida State to stay alive in the CWS. 

10:35 p.m.: UNC isn't done just yet. Luke Stevenson walks with two outs, as the Tar Heels attempt to make a last-second comeback. But they certainly have their work cut out for them. 

10:26 p.m. End bottom eighth: Curley flies out to left field to end the inning, but the lead is now five for Tennessee. North Carolina is down to its final three outs. 

10:22 p.m.: Tennessee scoring play: Kavares Tears picks up his fourth RBI of the night thanks to a double down the right field line. Amick races around from second to score and Dreiling moves to third base with two outs in the inning. It's an extra insurance run for Tennessee, with Dean Curley up at bat looking to add more. Tennessee 6, North Carolina 1. 

10:14 p.m.: Dylan Dreiling follows up the Amick walk with a single, giving the Volunteers runners on first and second with one out. That ends the night for Padgett, as North Carolina calls in Connor Bovair out of the bullpen to face Colby Backus. 

10:12 p.m.: Padgett issues a four-pitch walk to Billy Amick with one out. 

10:06 p.m. End top eighth: Parks Harber rips a line drive right at Dean Curley at shortstop to end the inning. 

10:06 p.m.: Just like that, Tennessee ends the North Carolina threat. Casey Cook grounds out into a double play, clearing the bases with two outs. 

10:05 p.m.: Snead starts his outing with a walk to Vance Honeycutt. 

10:03 p.m.: Nate Snead takes the bump for Tennessee in the eighth inning. 

10 p.m. End bottom seventh: Padgett gets Christian Moore to ground out into a double play to end the inning. Tar Heels down to their final six outs. 

9:49 p.m.: Tennessee starts the bottom of the seventh with a walk to Reese Chapman. That will end the night for Bennett Peterson, as UNC brings in its fourth pitcher of the evening, Cameron Padgett. 

9:44 p.m. End top seventh: Colby Wilkerson flies out to right field to end the top of the seventh. The Volunteers are now six outs away from securing a win, getting one step closer to the finals. 

9:40 p.m.: Alex Madero legs out an infield single with two outs to keep the top of the seventh going for the Tar Heels. 

9:32 p.m. End bottom sixth: Luke Stevenson throws out Curley attempting to steal second. Tennessee challenges the play, but the call on the field stands, ending the inning. 

9:31 p.m. Tennessee scoring play: Dean Curley sends a ground ball up the middle for a single, and Backus races around from second to score to extend the Tennessee lead. Curley gets his hands through on an inside pitch to punch it right in between second base and shortstop, bringing in a massive insurance run with two outs. Tennessee 5, North Carolina 1. 

9:28 p.m.: A breaking ball from Peterson gets by Luke Stevenson, and Backus moves up to second base with one out. Kavares Tears, who opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the fourth inning, now has a runner in scoring position. 

9:25 p.m.: After a Dylan Dreiling flyout, Colby Backus walks and that will end Matthijs' day. North Carolina goes to the bullpen for the second time tonight, this time bringing in right-handed Bennett Peterson. 

9:18 p.m. End top sixth: Connell strikes out Gavin Gallaher, and the Vols escape the jam. The Tar Heels manage a run on the Honeycutt home run, but it could have been more if not for Donofrio's miscue on the base paths. Beam officially ends his start going 5.0+, allowing one earned run on four hits and seven strikeouts. 

9:15 p.m.: Bad mistake on the base paths by Donofrio. The Tar Heels right fielder gets picked off first base, giving up the second out in the inning.  

9:14 p.m.: Anthony Donofrio grounds into a fielder's choice, as Harber is thrown out at second. It moves to Cook to third and Donofrio reaches first, giving the Tar Heels runners on the corners with one out. 

9:10 p.m.: A hot shot by Parks Harber is too hot to handle for Billy Amick at third, and the Tar Heels have something cooking. It's now runners at second and first thanks to the infield single, with no outs. That'll do it for Beam, as Tennessee is electing to go to the bullpen and are bringing in lefty Kirby Connell. 

9:08 p.m.: Casey Cook follows up Honeycutt's home run by ripping a single to right-center field. The top of the UNC order is getting to Beam the third time batting around. 

9:07 p.m. North Carolina scoring play: Vance Honeycutt home run! The Tar Heels are on the board thanks to a solo shot by the leadoff man to start the sixth inning. It's his 27th home run of the year and it cuts the Vols' lead to three. Tennessee 4, North Carolina 1.

Certified @HoneycuttVance homer 😎#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN2 / @DiamondHeels pic.twitter.com/tScWjjEcIz

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 17, 2024

9:03 p.m. End bottom fifth: Billy Amick flies out to right field to concluded what ended up being a fairly lengthy bottom of the fifth due to the umpire delay. But Tennessee takes a 4-0 lead into the sixth thanks to the Chapman solo shot. 

9:02 p.m.: Moore puts himself in scoring position after stealing second base. It gives the Vols a runner in scoring position with two outs. 

8:59 p.m.: After his cycle on Friday, Christian Moore is on base for the first time tonight. The leadoff man for Tennessee singles to right field with one out in the bottom of the fifth. 

8:55 p.m.: After a lengthy delay, there is a new umpire behind the dish. Home plate umpire Kellen Levy was forced to leave with a potential concussion after taking a foul ball to the face mask. 

8:40 p.m.: This is something new. There is a delay in the game due to an umpiring change. 

8:37 p.m.: Entering the game for the Tar Heels is Matthew Matthijs. The right-hander owns a 3.65 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 56.2 innings. He takes over with no one on and no outs in the bottom of the fifth. 

8:35 p.m.: Tennessee scoring play: Reese Chapman home run! The Tennessee designated hitter launches a Sprague pitch deep into right field for a solo homer. That will end the day for the North Carolina starter, who ends the game pitching 4.0+ innings, giving up four earned runs on three hits and six strikeouts. Tennessee 4, North Carolina 0. 

Reese Chapman OBLITERATED this baseball and the Vols are rollin' 😤 @Vol_Baseball | #MCWS pic.twitter.com/Okxruz8LDB

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) June 17, 2024

8:30 p.m. End top fifth: Beam gets out of the jam by recording back-to-back strikeouts, increasing his total on the evening to seven. 

8:25 p.m.: Jackson Van De Brake draws a second consecutive walk for North Carolina, giving the Tar Heels first and second with one out. Alex Maderas comes up to bat with a chance to get UNC on the board. 

8:21 p.m.: Beam issues a one-out walk to Luke Stevenson. It's only the second baserunner of the day for the Tar Heels. 

8:17 p.m. End bottom fourth: Sprague picks up his third strikeout of the inning by fanning Dean Curley, but the damage is done by the Vols thanks to the three-run long ball by Tears. 

8:13 p.m.: Tennessee scoring play: Kavares Tears home run! The lefty takes a changeup from Sprague deep into right field for a three-run homer, putting the first runs on the board. That's Tears' 20th home run on the season and second in as many games. Tennessee 3, North Carolina 0. 

ANOTHER TEARS TANK!!

📺 https://t.co/ABe8OpapXI (ESPN2)#GBO // #OTH // #MCWS // #BeatUNC pic.twitter.com/YZn64APJV7

— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) June 17, 2024

8:07 p.m.: After a strikeout, Dylan Dreiling forces a walk, giving the Volunteers runners on first and second with one out. It's a chance for the hot Hunter Ensley to come through for Tennessee. 

8:01 p.m.: Blake Burke gets jammed on an inside pitch, but he fights it off, dropping it into left field for a Tennessee leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth.

7:57 p.m. End top fourth: Beam battles back from a 3-0 count and strikes out Anthony Donofrio to end the top of the fourth. North Carolina can't take advantage of the two-out single, and Beam is up to five strikeouts through four innings. 

7:53 p.m.: The Tar Heels are finally on base. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Parks Harber takes the first pitch from Beam and deposits it into shallow right field for a single. 

7:48 p.m. End bottom third: We've got ourselves a pitching duel in Omaha. Sprague strikes out Cal Stark for his third K of the evening, en route to his second 1-2-3 inning. 

7:42 p.m. End top third: North Carolina has no answer for Beam the first team through the order. His strikes out Colby Wilkerson to pick up his third K of the day. So far, nine up, nine down for the Tar Heels. 

7:38 p.m. End bottom second: Sprague gets Dean Curley to fly out to center field, ending the inning. The Volunteers leave a runner on second base. 

7:36 p.m.: A fielder's choice by Kavares Tears moves Dreiling to second base with two outs in the inning. 

7:33 p.m.: The first baserunner of the game goes to the Vols. Dylan Dreiling walks to lead off the bottom of the second inning. 

7:31 p.m. End top second: Make it now six batters retired in a row for Beam, as he forces UNC to hit into two flyouts and a groundout. 

7:24 p.m. End bottom first: Shea Sprague responds with a quick, three-batter inning of his own for the Tar Heels. After a groundout to Christian Moore, he strikes out Blake Burke and Billy Amick to end the first inning. 

7:13 p.m. End top first: Three up, three down to start off the day for Drew Beam and the Volunteers. He strikes out Vance Honeycutt looking, strikes out Casey Cook swinging, and then forces a groundout to Parks Harber

Pregame

6:45 p.m.: The winner of Tennessee vs. North Carolina can be in the driver's seat for the College World Series. Whoever wins tonight will be one more victory away from a spot in the finals. However, a loss results in the demotion to the loser's bracket, where No. 8. Florida State awaits after a win over Virginia to stay alive. 

5:45 p.m.: Here's a look at the starting pitchers and lineups for the two teams on Sunday:

North Carolina

1. Vance Honeycutt (CF)
2. Casey Cook (LF)
3. Parks Harber (1B)
4. Anthony Donofrio (RF)
5. Gavin Gallaher (3B)
6. Luke Stevenson (C)
7. Jackson Van De Brake (DH)
8. Alex Madera (2B)
9. Colby Wilkerson (SS)

P: Shea Sprague

Tennessee

1. Christian Moore (2B)
2. Blake Burke (1B)
3. Billy Amick (3B)
4. Dylan Dreiling (LF)
5. Hunter Ensley (CF)
6. Kavares Tears (SS)
7. Dean Curley (SS)
8. Reese Chapman (DH)
9. Cal Stark (C)

P: Drew Beam

How to watch UNC vs. Tennessee

• Start time: 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT)
• TV channel: ESPN2
• Live stream: ESPN+, Fubo

UNC vs. Tennessee will be carried on ESPN2. Those hoping to stream the game can find it on ESPN+ or on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

College World Series schedule

Friday, June 14

Saturday, June 15

Sunday, June 16

Monday, June 17

Tuesday, June 18

Wednesday, June 19

Thursday, June 20

*If necessary 

Saturday, June 22

Sunday, June 23

Monday, June 24

*If necessary