OMAHA, Neb. — How 'bout that?

Two games into the College World Series and Fresno State remains undefeated, in the winner's bracket and a win shy of advancing to the championship series.

How 'bout that?

Fresno State upset yet another national powerhouse today, this time No. 2 national seed North Carolina with a 5-3 victory in front of a near-sellout crowd of 23,314 at Rosenblatt Stadium, many stunned like some of those watching on national TV.

How 'bout that?

Cinderella is hogging the spotlight — unseeded nationally as the first No.4 regional seed to reach the CWS, in the CWS for the first time in 17 years, in the driver's seat of bracket play and the fan favorite of this town, if not much of the nation now.

A No. 4 regional seed in baseball would be the equivalent to a No. 13 seed in the men's basketball championships.

And a No. 13 seed this close to the championship series?

"Yeah, how about that?" Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said as he lifted up his eyebrows, perhaps in disbelief himself.

If you're one of Fresno State's nationally ranked victims, it's starting to sound like a broken record that these underdog Bulldogs continue to own the national stage.

If you're a Bulldogs fanatic, it's your favorite song stuck on repeat.

How do the Bulldogs continue to do it?

Today, they produced in tense situations.

Fresno State (44-29) came through — once again taking a stressful route that has become quite familiar considering the Bulldogs' postseason path.

North Carolina (52-13) could not — playing in its first tight postseason affair after breezing through its first six playoff games by a combined 59-24.

Fresno State used five pitchers who all had great control and offered various looks to disarm a line-drive hitting North Carolina team that was batting .326 entering the game.

Justin Miller, who started today after No. 2 pitcher Clayton Allison was scratched because of shoulder tendinitis, got through four innings before Batesole turned to his bullpen.

Then the chain of Kris Tomlinson, Jason Breckley, Holden Sprague and Brandon Burke combined to pitch five scoreless innings.

"I definitely feel like our inexperience at this level is playing to our advantage right now," Burke said. "It seems like teams who've been here before are pressing too much, doing too much. Whereas us, we're just trying to do the opposite.

"It's really special that almost every pitch that every pitcher on our staff throws is the most important pitch that they've ever thrown."

North Carolina coach Mike Fox had little explanation for the the Tar Heels' inability to perform in the clutch.

The Tar Heels scored all of their runs in the fourth.

Fresno State claimed a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Alan Ahmady hit a two-run single with the bases loaded off reliever Brian Moran.

North Carolina had its best chance to reclaim the lead or tie it in the eighth, with runners on second and third with two outs. But both were stranded after Burke came for in relief of Sprague and immediately induced an infield chopper for the inning-ending out.

As third baseman Tommy Mendonca fielded the ball and zipped it to first, Burke never looked back and, in a nonchalant manner, started to walk toward the Bulldogs' dugout.

North Carolina had never faced such a tense situation before Tuesday or against a team this calm amid near chaos.

"We don't play well when we're behind," Fox said. "I don't know why. We swung at a lot of balls, and credit Fresno State pitchers for pitching off the plate a little bit. I think we pressed a little bit."

North Carolina entered today with a nation-best 2.83 ERA.

But the Bulldogs treated the Tar Heels like they have against the other pitching-rich teams in the postseason, steadily producing in two-strike or two-out situations with hits, that over time, seemed to disturb North Carolina.

Fresno State finished with 13 hits, including a 3-for-3 night from leadoff hitter Danny Muno.

Five Bulldogs finished with at least two hits, including a 3-for-5 outing from Erik Wetzel, who supplied the cushion run in the eighth on an RBI single.

It's performances like Tuesday's that have Fresno State players thinking that upset no longer correctly describes the Bulldogs' wins.

"It doesn't," Muno said. "We are undefeated, and we expected to be here."

The Bulldogs have the next two days off, and will play Friday against Thursday's winner between North Carolina and No. 7 Louisiana State (49-18-1).

Fresno State is venturing toward a level no other Bulldogs teams has gone before, with two CWS wins for the first time since 1959, which was the school's first trip to Omaha.

Then, the Bulldogs had a guy named Augie Garrido playing right field. Yes, that eventual Hall-of-Famer.

And they were coached by the Bulldogs' stadium namesake, Pete Beiden.

Perhaps in time, this band of Bulldogs will produce someone into legendary status, too.

For now, it's their magical run that's becoming something to talk about for ages.

"When you lose guys, like they have, other guys start feeling a sense of purpose," Fox said of Fresno State. "It happens in sports. 'We're going to step up.' We've all seen it. Somebody's sick, can't play, injured, whatever, and somebody steps up and raises their level.

"They do what they need to do to win."

Allison to return?

Allison threw a light bullpen session during the bottom of the eighth inning, and might have been used had today's game gone into extra innings, Batesole said.

Allison has been dealing with pain in his right shoulder since his last start, June 8, and had not practiced until today.

Batesole said he likely will be choosing between Allison and lefty Justin Wilson, who pitched seven innings Sunday in Fresno State's 17-5 win against Rice.