Adam Mills tossed his third complete-game shutout in A-10 play Friday at GW. |
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Mills Tosses One-Hit Shutout as Niners Down George Washington 10-0
April 27, 2007
Arlington, Va. - Charlotte (33-8, 14-2 A-10) starting pitcher Adam Mills faced two more than the minimum and struck out nine as he led the 49ers to a 10-0 win over George Washington (16-25-1, 8-8 A-10) Friday evening in Atlantic 10 Baseball at Barcroft Park. Mills is 5-0 in Atlantic 10 play, all complete-game efforts, including shutouts of Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's and GWU. He has allowed four earned runs in six games and 52.1 innings and a 0.52 ERA in league play. He has 52 strikeouts to eight walks in those A-10 starts.
Mills opened the game by surrendering a lead-off bloop-single to GW's Mickey Shupin and then retired 25 straight before allowing a walk to Chris Holland with one out in the ninth inning. It was the seventh complete-game this season for Mills, and his fourth shutout. He tied the Charlotte single-season mark for shutouts with Glenn Harris (1998) and set the career record with his fifth. He becomes the eighth Charlotte 49er ever to win 10 games in a season.
With the effort, his season ERA, which was already second in the country at 1.06, drops to 0.96. With nine strikeouts, he increased his season total to 120. His previous total was third in the nation coming into this week.
Charlotte took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with an unearned run as Brad McElroy led-off with a double, advanced to third on a throwing error and later came around to score on Aaron Bray's single into left field.
The 49ers added to their lead in the third inning as they recorded five hits, including two doubles, and scored three runs.
In the top of the sixth, the Niners added four more runs, two of which came on Spencer Steedley's two-run home run, a blast that snuck just inside the right-field foul poll.
GW's starting pitcher, Pat Lehman, worked the first six innings and allowed eight runs, seven earned, while striking out four batters, all looking.
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Charlotte added two more runs in the seventh on Alex Burt's single through the left-side, extending to the final margin.
Bray, shortstop Shayne Moody, designated hitter Chris Taylor, third baseman Alex Burt and center fielder Chris Lane all had two hits for the Niners. Burt drove in the team-high three for Charlotte.
Charlotte has shutout 10 opponents this season, with nine pitchers sharing in at least one shutout victory. The Niners lead NCAA Division I baseball (228 teams) with a staff ERA of 2.28 overall.
Mills is now one win away from tying the school's career mark of 29, set by All-American Tim Collie in 1995. He is also second all-time in strikeouts with 350 (409, McKay) and second in Niners history with 369 innings pitched (409, John McKay in 2000).
The two teams will meet in game two of their three-game series Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
