Omaha, NE (My Sportsbook) - Luke Putkonen allowed just one run and three hits over seven innings, as North Carolina ended Louisville's tournament run with a 3-1 victory in the College World Series.

Seth Williams had an RBI single and the Tar Heels scored twice on a throwing error in the second inning. Louisville's bats went cold the rest of the way.

North Carolina, the 2006 CWS runner-up, plays top-seeded Rice on Wednesday and will have to beat the Owls twice to keep them from advancing to the best-of- three championship round that starts Saturday.

Rice has already made a statement with a 14-4 drubbing of North Carolina on Sunday.

Colby Wark yielded three runs - one earned - and two hits in 3 2/3 innings for the Cardinals. He walked two and struck out four.

Second baseman Logan Johnson hit a solo homer for Louisville, which barely squeaked into the NCAA regionals before starting an improbable run. The team scored 100 runs and hit 21 homers in 11 NCAA Tournament games.

The Cardinals put up a first-inning run when Johnson sent a pitch over the left-field wall with one out.

Tim Fedroff walked, while Kyle Seager and Williams ripped consecutive singles to put the Tar Heels on the board in the second. Garrett Gore then reached on a throwing error by third baseman Chris Dominguez, who threw wide of first base. Gore eventually ended up at third as the Tar Heels converted the mistake into two more runs and a 3-0 lead.

Louisville threatened in the eighth, as Rob Wooten's sweeping slider failed to shut the Cards down. Wooten retired the first two batters before a hit batter and a walk, while Andrew Carignan came on and struck out Isaiah Howes to end the inning.

Carignan also tossed a perfect ninth to earn the save.

Another elimination game is on the schedule tonight, as Arizona State battles UC Irvine at 7 p.m. (et).