University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Charlotte
Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short For Spartans In 8-7 Loss To 49ers
4/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Bryan Hamilton struck out two USC Upstate batters to close the game, leaving the tying run stranded 90 feet away as Charlotte fought off two furious late Upstate rallies in non-conference baseball action at Robert & Miriam Hayes Stadium on Wednesday night.
An eighth inning triple from Cory Tilton scored O'Brien Taylor from third base to gave the 49ers (30-10 overall) the lead. A single from relief pitcher Hamilton scored Tilton, spreading the margin to 8-6.
Upstate (20-23 overall) responded right back in the top of the ninth inning, as sophomore Brian Dempsey (Montverde, Fla./East Ridge) was hit by a pitch to lead off. After a flyout, freshman Reed Lishen (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach) drew a five-pitch walk, setting up junior Eric Guillen (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks), who found a hole in the right side to score Dempsey and make it a one-run game. However, the hard-throwing Hamilton reared back to get the final two outs by strikeout.
The tying runs found second and third base in the eighth inning with the Spartans down 6-4 after both Lishen and junior Kyle Simpson (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) were hit by pitches. After a sac bunt for the second out, sophomore Jimmy Tanner (Fayetteville, Ga./Stars Mill) singled up the middle just behind the back of the pitcher to tie the game.
The Spartans opened up the scoring in the top of the third as Guillen hit an infield single to lead off and Simpson followed with a bunt single. A sac bunt moved each runner up a base and Tanner hit a single up the middle for a run before a sac fly scored Simpson.
The lead was short-lived as Charlotte used a walk, a single and an error to score two runs and tie the game in the bottom of the inning. The Spartans retook the lead in the fourth inning when junior Tommy Shovlin (Merritt Island, Fla./Daytona Beach C.C.) led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a double off the right field wall by Guillen.
The 49ers evened the game by using two hits and an error in the fifth to scratch a run across and added three more in the sixth inning on four hits and two errors to take a 6-3 lead. Aaron Bray's squeeze bunt capped the inning.
Upstate closed within two runs in the top of the seventh, scoring a single tally. Freshman Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) hit a bloop single into left to lead off, took second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Green scored on an error by the second baseman. The Spartans put the tying run in scoring position on the next play, as Dempsey reached on an infield single and advanced a base on an error to put runners on second and third, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Guillen led the Spartans by going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBIs and Tanner added a 2-for-5 game with three RBIs. Simpson added a hit and two runs.
Both Rob Lyerly and Tilton had three hits for the 49ers, with Lyerly scoring once and Tilton adding two runs and two RBIs. Bray and Brad McElroy also added two hits.
Hamilton (3-1) got the win for Charlotte, allowing two hits, two walks, a hit batter and a run in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Freshman Michael O'Neill (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) (0-1) took the loss for Upstate, allowing two hits and two runs.
Upstate is back on the field on Friday when it heads to Nashville, Tenn., to open a three-game set with Atlantic Sun Conference foe Belmont. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. CT at Greer Stadium.
