Charlotte 49ers Baseball's Comeback Stalls at Third Base

Photo Courtesy of the American Athletic Conference

Charlotte 49ers baseball fell 6-5 to the East Carolina University (ECU) Pirates after they pulled off a comeback after being down 3-2 early, and were led by relief pitcher Brad Pruett to secure their ticket to Saturday in the winner's bracket.

"Yeah, East Carolina just a really good game," said Head Coach Robert Woodard. "All three of their pitchers just competed their tails off; it was tough at-bats for our guys. I give our guys a ton of credit; we threw a big punch there… We're still in this thing, and it's a double-elimination format for a reason. We'll learn from it; we'll regroup and come back ready to go tomorrow."

Defense dominating early

Charlotte's defense came to play in the opening inning, turning a double play, and then right fielder Noah Furcth gunned out the runner, trying to stretch out a single to end the inning.

The Pirates' defense was not to be outdone as center fielder Ryley Johnson made a leaping catch, robbing the Niners of what would have been a double from catcher Logan Poteet.

Pirates poking it through the holes in the defense

In the second inning, ECU found a way to get the bases loaded early with three straight singles that all rolled through the infield dirt and found their way to the outfield grass.

The 49ers gathered themselves and traded runs for outs with back-to-back RBI groundouts, putting the Pirates ahead 2-0 early in the game.

Martin's mash

Designated hitter Blake Martin did not allow Charlotte to trail East Carolina long, coming through with a three-run homer in the bottom half of the second inning to give them a 3-2 lead.

ECU plunders back

The Pirates tied the game up in the fifth inning with a two-out double followed by an RBI single from designated hitter John Collins to make it 3-3.

ECU claimed a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning after a leadoff hit by pitch got a runner on. He came around to score on a two-run homer from catcher Walker Barron.

Spoiled chances

A fielding error by the Pirates had the 49ers with two runners on with one out in a prime opportunity to cut into the lead in the sixth inning.

Charlotte could not scratch one across in the inning, leaving it 5-3 and heading into the final third of the game.

Insurance run

A pair of hits and walks for the Pirates against three different 49ers pitchers allowed them to expand the lead to 6-3 in the seventh inning, adding a much-needed insurance run late.

Another missed opportunity

Charlotte had the tying run at the plate in shortstop Connor Maryniak with two outs and two runners on, but before Maryniak could see a second pitch, the 49ers had to leave the field after getting picked off second base.

The tag play was challenged, but with no video angle able to prove otherwise, the call stood on the field, and Charlotte was leaving the field without any runs in another good scoring opportunity.

Late rally falls short

The bottom of the ninth inning saw the 49ers facing drastic odds, down 6-3 with three outs to play with. A leadoff single from center fielder Spencer Nolan was followed by a double from Furcht.

Martin added an RBI to his total with a groundout, and Juan Rivera added an RBI with a single to make it 6-5 with one out to go.

The 49ers had the tying and winning run on base in the ninth inning after catcher Logan Poteet blooped a single, but ultimately fell short after a ball outside rung up Maryniak to end the game.

Takeaways

Charlotte's hitting will have to bring a spark in the elimination game after only getting two hits in the first eight innings. But the late rally gave them life and allowed them to cling to some momentum heading into tomorrow.

The 49ers' pitching staff will have to do a better job of limiting base runners, as 16 batters reached base in the contest. Limiting base runners will be crucial in every game moving forward, as it is win or go home.

Players of the game

Pruett threw five hitless innings in relief for the Pirates, who had a depleted bullpen after a taxing first game of the tournament. He did allow three walks but punched out four hitters.

Martin was the central cog in Charlotte's offensive wheel as he provided four of the team's five RBIs, with the first three coming off his homer in the second inning.

What's next

The 49ers will take on the South Florida Bulls at around 4:30 p.m., depending on how the 1 p.m. game goes, to determine who will get a rematch with ECU in the AAC Championship Semifinals.