Former North Carolina ace Alex White is scheduled to get his first major league start Saturday.

White will face the Detroit Tigers' Rick Porcello (1-2, 4.76 ERA) in Cleveland.

So far, White has compiled the best ERA of his short minor league career this season. He's 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA in four starts with the Cleveland Indians' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers of the International League (he has not faced the Durham Bulls).

CHAPEL HILL — East Carolina’s 10-1 loss to North Carolina in the first of a best-of-three Super Regional Saturday was eerily similar to last Saturday’s 12-2 loss to South Carolina in the Greenville Regional.

Pirates ace Seth Maness started and lost both games, and gave up six earned runs in both, though in this game, more than last week, he didn’t get much defensive help. In the sixth inning, there was an error, but the scorekeepers could have called at least one more of North Carolina’s seven hits an error instead.

Not that it mattered. If the Pirates can’t come up with clutch hits, they’re chances diminish. Their strength is their offense, after all.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina's Alex White earned his sixth career NCAA Tournament victory, a school record, in a 10-1 win over East Carolina in the first game of a best-of-three Super Regional series at Boshamer Stadium Saturday.

White actually started out shaky, giving up a solo home run in the second inning, before he settled in and threw a career-high 12 strikeouts.

The North Carolina bats bursted for seven runs, six earned, in the sixth inning, as East Carolina's Seth Maness took the loss, allowing six earned runs on 13 hits.

Game 2 is at noon Sunday at Boshamer. If East Carolina can rebound, it would set up a third and final game Monday at Boshamer.  

CHAPEL HILL — Despite his recent struggles and injuries, junior right-hander Alex White will remain North Carolina's starting pitcher for the opening game of its super regional meeting with East Carolina at noon Saturday at Boshamer Stadium.

White (7-4) is expected to be an early first-round pick in next week's major league draft, but has lost his last three decisions. He also started Saturday's 14-5 regional win over Coastal Carolina but did not get a decision after giving up five runs in 4 2/3 innings.

He was battling a hamstring problem and a blister on the first finger of his right (pitching) hand against Coastal Carolina. But coach Mike Fox said he expects White to be fine this weekend.

Alex White's one-hitter against Miami on Friday earned the junior right-hander some accolades on Monday.

White, who struck out 10 in the 3-0 victory over the Hurricanes, was chosen as the ACC pitcher of the week and was selected as a Louisville Slugger national player of the week.