UP

Wind: It was blowing out in Rosenblatt on Sunday (six homers in two games).

Louisville sluggers: Cardinals have scored 42 runs in their past three games.

DOWN

UNC pitchers: This time, relievers joined starters in game-long meltdown.

BY THE NUMBERS

0: Home runs hit by North Carolina in College World Series.

3: Beach balls that flew from the stands into the outfield at the same time during the second inning, forcing the grounds crew to give chase.

32: Earned runs allowed by North Carolina's starting pitching in past 25 2/3 innings.

OBSERVATIONS

* The Tar Heels have faced two of college baseball's legendary coaches in their first two CWS games. Mississippi State's Ron Polk's 1,350 victories are seventh in NCAA history. Wayne Graham has 1,315 victories in 37 seasons at Rice and San Jacinto-North Junior College in Houston.

* North Carolina freshman first baseman Dustin Ackley seems to have hit the wall. After a tremendous regular season in which he hit .443 and generally was considered the country's top rookie, Ackley has hit .161 in NCAA tournament play.

Although he had two RBIs in North Carolina's CWS opener against Mississippi State, Ackley went hitless in five at-bats Sunday.

* The best thing for North Carolina now would be to play a normal-type game Tuesday against Louisville (good luck, given the Cardinals' offense).

Now that the Tar Heels know they can't necessarily overcome every deficit they face, they need to try getting an early lead for a change.