Powered by an eight-run outburst, Charlotte posted a 10-5 win over Georgia in front of a crowd of 4,521 at BB&T Ballpark here Tuesday.
The 49ers (6-6) collected a season-high 18 hits including scoring eight runs in the seventh frame to overcome a 4-2 deficit. First baseman Logan Sherrer capped a 4-for-4 night with a three-run home run to cap a big seventh inning.
Georgia (8-5) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Junior Stephen Wrenn smashed his second triple of the season to extend his hitting streak to six games. Sophomore Keegan McGovern followed with an RBI-groundout. The 49ers answered in their half of the frame, getting back-to-back doubles from T.J. Nichting and Derek Fritz to tie the contest. In the fifth, the 49ers chased Bulldog starter Andrew Gist after another pair of doubles, these coming from Derek Gallella and Sherrer to pull ahead 2-1.
Freshman pinch-hitter Michael Curry provided a big blast to put the Bulldogs back in front in the sixth. McGovern was on after a one-out walk and with two outs, senior Daniel Nichols drew a walk to set the stage for the freshman. It was Curry’s second pinch-hit home run of the year as he’s 3-for-3 in that role. His first career pinch-hit appearance came at Mercer on Feb. 24, and he came through with a solo blast. The 49ers tried to respond in their half of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs before freshman pitcher Shane Tucker and the Bulldogs maintained the two-run edge. The 49ers got to the Bulldog bullpen in the seventh, scoring two off of Tucker, four off freshman Blakely Brown and a pair off of junior Austin Wallace.
“That was a bad baseball game to watch, we played very lackluster and uninspired,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said. “We’ll make some moves and discuss it as a coaching staff. There were a lot of Georgia fans that came out to see us on a beautiful night for baseball, and for us to play like that, I’m disappointed. We had some bad at bats, especially with the bases loaded and we’re not getting much the last few games from the middle of our order. It was good to see Michael Curry put a great swing on a pitch and give us the lead and you have to credit their hitters for some good at bats when they had their chances to score.”
Gist entered Tuesday with a 0.69 ERA on the year and only one run allowed on seven hits in 13 innings. However, Charlotte managed two runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. Neither starter factored in the decision. Charlotte reliever Phillip Perry picked up the win to improve to 1-0 while Brown dropped to 1-1.
The two-game series with Charlotte concludes Wednesday on the 49ers campus with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.