Chris Lane's 2-RBI single capped off a four-run rally to give his team the lead for good in the seventh. |
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Niners Rally for 8-6 Win Over Canisius on Friday
Feb. 17, 2006
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers rallied with eight runs over their final four turns at bat, including a four-run seventh inning, to pick up an 8-6 non-conference win over Canisius on Friday evening at Tom & Lib Phillips Field.
Canisius (0-1), playing the earliest season opener in school history, took a 6-0 lead early in the contest with the help of some untimely fielding errors by the 49ers.
Adam Mills, the starting pitcher for Charlotte (2-1), gave up six runs - but only two of them were earned as his teammates committed three fielding miscues on ground balls.
After a 1-2-3 inning for the Golden Griffins in the top of the seventh, the 49er bats finally erupted to give them the lead for good.
With Charlotte down 6-3, leadoff hitter Cory Lane got things started with a single through the right side against reliever Ian Horner. Pinch hitter John Stallings and shortstop Mike Ambrose walked to load the bases, leading Canisius to lift Horner in favor of Alex Winiewicz.
Winiewicz did his job against Steedley, inducing a groundout, but the Niners were happy to trade an out for a run to make the score 6-4. Chris Taylor then followed suit with another RBI groundout to cut the lead to just one.
Kris Rochelle would walk and advance to second on a wild pitch, putting two men in scoring position for Chris Lane.
His single through the left side scored both runners to give the Niners their first lead, 7-6.
Reliever B.J. Hagen, who had retired Canisius in order in the seventh, hit a batter and then got the first out of the eighth inning before giving way to all-conference closer Erik Walker.
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The school's all-time saves leader finished the eighth with a pair of strike outs, before adding two more to start the ninth. A ground out to shortstop secured his first save of the year and gave the win to Hagen.
The 49ers' eight-run rally began in the bottom half of the fifth, with a solo homer off the bat of Rochelle. They would score again when Chris Lane walked, stole second, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a groundout.
Spencer Steedley walked with one out in the bottom of the sixth, before Chris Taylor's double plated him to cut the deficit to 6-3.
After the four-run seventh, the Niners would tack on an insurance run in the eighth on a balk call against Winiewicz.
For Canisius, freshman Kevin Mahoney was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Dan Clifford's only hit was an odd inside the park home run on a ball hit to the wall in right center field. The 49ers fielders appeared to think the ball hit off the scoreboard for a traditional home run, but by the time they realized it didn't, a sprinting Clifford was beginning to round third for his first homer of the season.
John Axford, a senior transfer from Notre Dame that started for the Griffs, got no decision despite carrying a no-hitter through the game's first four innings. He allowed just two runs - one earned - on one hit and four walks.
These two teams will meet at noon on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
