UNC second baseman Kyle Gatres’ single in the bottom of the ninth gave the No. 11 Cowboys their second consecutive walk-off loss.
The No. 10 Tar Heels (3-1) struck first on center fielder Tyler Ramirez’s RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.
The Cowboys answered in the next frame. Third baseman Garrett Benge led off the second inning with home run to right, his first of the season for OSU (2-3).
The score remained deadlocked at 1 until the ninth, when a one-out walk to Brian Miller and infield single by Tyler Lynn put a pair on for Gatres, who delivered with a single to right-center to win the series opener for UNC.