OMAHA, Neb. – Robert Woodard and two relievers limited Rice to six singles and a double, Dustin Ackley broke open the game with a three-run homer and North Carolina beat the Owls 6-1 in the College World Series on Wednesday.

The Tar Heels (56-14), the 2006 CWS runners-up and No. 3 national seed, forced another game against No. 2 Rice (56-13) Thursday. The winner meets UC Irvine or defending national champion Oregon State in the best-of-three championship starting Saturday.

Ackley, one of the nation’s top freshmen, broke out of a 5-for-37 slump with a fifth-inning single for his school-record 113th hit of the season. In the seventh, Ackley lined a pitch from Chris Kelley over the right-field fence for his eighth homer and first since May 11. It was only the Tar Heels’ second homer in 15 games.

Rice beat North Carolina 14-4 on Sunday and scored 29 runs in its first two CWS games. But like last year, after the Owls won their first two games here, their offense struggled. Rice was knocked out then after getting shut out twice by Oregon State.

Rice managed only two hits through six innings Wednesday and didn’t score until the seventh.

And after playing error-free ball for four straight games, the Owls committed two in a row to start North Carolina’s two-run second inning.

Shortstop Brian Friday dropped a fly in short center, second baseman Aaron Luna bobbled a grounder and Garrett Gore singled before starter Ryan Berry (11-3) walked Reid Fronk with the bases loaded. Tim Fedroff’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0.

Woodard (11-2) gave the Tar Heels their second quality start in a row, allowing five hits and one earned run in 6 2-3 innings. North Carolina starters struggled in the postseason until Luke Putkonen held Louisville to one run over seven innings in a 3-1 win Tuesday.

Woodard lasted just 1 2-3 innings in Friday’s 8-5 win over Mississippi State, his shortest outing in 51 career starts. Last year, he went only three innings in an 11-7 loss to Oregon State in Game 2 of the championship series.

He gave up base hits in the first and second innings Wednesday, then retired 12 of the next 13 batters before allowing back-to-back singles in the seventh. He left after Danny Lehmann’s two-out double drove in the Owls’ only run.

Rob Wooten and Andrew Carignan finished for the Tar Heels, who handed the Owls their first loss in 10 games.

AP-ES-06-20-07 1816EDT