B.J. Hagen earned his first win of the season in the completed game and watched Charlotte win the scheduled game. |
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Charlotte Finishes Suspended Game, Cruises to Victory in Scheduled Contest vs. N.C. A&T
April 8, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers won a pair of games, 8-7 and 7-1 against North Carolina A&T by completing a suspended game from March 18 and winning a regularly scheduled nine-inning contest by holding the Aggies to three hits at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium Tuesday night in college baseball action. Charlotte, ranked No. 26 by Collegiate Baseball News, is now 25-5 on the season, while the Aggies fall to 12-21.
The completed game was originally halted in the seventh inning in Greensboro, and it took only 38 minutes to finish the contest. Charlotte had an 8-6 lead and gave up a run, but held on for the victory. Chris Taylor ended a six-game stretch without a hit by garnering a pair, one from March and another in the completed segment in Charlotte.
Taylor and designated hitter Rob Lyerly finished with a pair of hits, while second baseman Corey Shaylor finished with a pair of RBI for Charlotte without getting a hit. He drove in one on an RBI groundout and another on a sacrifice fly.
Charlotte was out hit 12-6 in the contest, but six Aggies errors led to four unearned runs.
B.J. Hagen got his first win as a starter for Charlotte this season (1-1). He was leading after the fifth inning when he was removed in March and the Niners held on for the win. He had allowed 10 hits in five innings, striking out three.
Sam Pierce tossed a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season. He struck out a batter to give him 22, most out of the bullpen for Charlotte.
Chris Eggers was tagged with the loss for A&T. He gave up just five hits and two walks, with three of the seven runs charged to him earned.
In the nine-inning contest, the Niners scored solo runs in four of the first five innings. Third baseman Aaron Bray led off the bottom of the first for Charlotte with a solo homer to right, his third of the season and the second time this year he has started a game with a round tripper.
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In the second, designated hitter Mike Perkins drove in first baseman Rob Lyerly with a groundout, with Lyerly hitting a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the third to bring in shortstop Shayne Moody.
Bray hit a single through the right side, advanced to third on a throwing error on Aggies catcher Neil Rosser and came home on an RBI groundout by Moody to make it 4-0 Charlotte.
Charlotte added a pair in the seventh on four hits and an error. Taylor and Lyerly had back-to-back RBI singles to push the lead to 6-0.
The Aggies got on the board in the eighth with an unearned run and a pair of hits. Pinch hitter Joe Wade drove in Joe McIntyre from third to close the gap to 6-1 Niners.
Charlotte got the run back in the bottom half when Perkins drove in Alan Parks, who had walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by O'Brien Taylor. Perkins' two RBI were the first of his career.
Bray finished with the game-high of three hits, while Lyerly and Perkins each had a pair of runs driven in. McIntyre had two hits for A&T, with Wade collecting the third.
Charlotte's Ryan Rivers returned to make his first start since March 2 and gave up just one hit in a career-long five shutout innings, striking out a career-best six batters. He earned his first collegiate win.
Justin Duncan allowed an unearned run in two innings, striking out three and allowing two hits. Kelly McLain finished the game out for Charlotte, with two hitless innings, striking out two. Duncan's season ERA dropped to 0.93, while McLain saw his sink to 1.27 on the season.
Eggers started the nine-inning game and took the loss in that one as well, giving him two in less than three hours (1-4). He lasted 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits and a pair of walks, with seven strikeouts. Four of the six runs charged to him were earned.
Charlotte heads to Furman for a 6 p.m. Wednesday contest.
NOTES: Brad McElroy had hits in both games to extend his hit streak to 22 consecutive games, tied for third-most in team history. Charlotte is now 17-1 at home this season, 30-4 since the stadium opened on March 30, 2008. Charlotte is 19-1 all-time against North Carolina A&T.
