Chris Taylor had an RBI double in each game of the URI doubleheader. |
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Charlotte Sweeps Rhode Island 5-2 and 4-2 in A-10 Doubleheader
April 14, 2007
Kingston, R.I. - The No. 25 Charlotte 49ers held Rhode Island to two runs in both ends of a doubleheader to sweep the Rams for the weekend, 5-2 and 4-2 in Atlantic 10 baseball from Bill Beck Field on Saturday. Charlotte improves to 29-6 overall and 11-1 in A-10 play, dropping URI to 8-22, 5-7 in league action.
Charlotte has swept its last three conference series, outscoring opponents 59-21 in that span. Charlotte has won 14 of its last 16 contests.
GAME ONE Niners' starter Spencer Steedley tossed his fourth complete game of the season and improved to 6-0 with the win in game one. He gave up two runs, but only one earned, in the first inning on two hits and a hit batter. In the final eight innings, he allowed two walks and a double to shut down the Rams. In addition to his three total hits and two total walks, Steedley struck out six batters. He had runs of nine and eight in a row sent down in the game. Steedley's performance followed fellow senior Adam Mills' complete-game from Friday, allowing Charlotte the full complement of pitchers for game three of the series.
Offensively, Charlotte started with a pair of runs in the first on two hits and a walk, the last being a two-RBI double by right fielder Chris Taylor. Charlotte allowed the pair of runs in the bottom and needed only an RBI double by Brad McElroy in the third to get the lead going away. Steedley helped his own cause in the seventh with a bases-loaded double down the right field line to knock home the final two runs for Charlotte.
The loss was charged to Brett Palanski (1-6), who gave up eight hits and five walks in six innings of work, striking out six. Reliever Tim Boyce allowed the other run. He gave up a pair of hits and a walk in the final three innings, striking out three.
GAME TWO
Charlotte and Rhode Island played scoreless for four innings, until second baseman Cory Lane doubled to score Alex Burt in the fifth. The game stayed 1-1 on a pair of masterful performances by starters Jim Norcott of URI and Zach Rosenbaum of Charlotte. Both lasted eight innings, but the fireworks started in the ninth.
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Charlotte scored three runs on three hits, capped off by Taylor's two-RBI double to left center and Burt's RBI groundout in the ninth to give Charlotte a 4-0 lead.
Rosenbaum tried to go the distance, but the Rams got a second hit and a hit batter to start the ninth. Reliever Matt Foard and Sam Pierce came on to close it out for Charlotte, each giving up a hit with Foard hitting a batter to allow a pair of runs in the frame. Pierce induced a ground ball double play with the bases loaded to end the game.
Rosenbaum gave up just two hits and two walks in a career-long eight innings plus two batters in the ninth to get the win (5-0). He tied a career high with eight strikeouts on the afternoon. Pierce earned his second save of the season.
Norcott took the loss (2-5). He gave up only five hits and a walk in eight innings, striking out five.
Taylor led Charlotte with four hits in the series, two of them doubles, and drove in a team-best four runs. Charlotte starting pitching tossed 26 of 27 innings for the weekend, with two complete games, allowing just three earned runs in the series.
The Niners will host North Carolina A&T on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium, where they have won all seven games played there this year. Charlotte hosts Dayton in an Atlantic 10 series beginning Friday.
