Adam Mills tied Tim Collie for most career program starts (47) and wins (29) Thursday. |
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Mills Hurls Eighth Complete Game of Season in 3-1 Win at Xavier
May 3, 2007
Cincinnati, Ohio - Senior Adam Mills tossed his eighth complete game of the season and nearly broke the Charlotte baseball record for shutouts in a season, allowing a run in the ninth to defeat Xavier 3-1 in Cincinnati in Atlantic 10 play. The No. 25 Niners retain sole possession of first place in the A-10 and hand the Musketeers their first home loss of the season with the result. Charlotte improves to 36-9, eclipsing last year's win total, and capturing at least the third-best win total in team history. Charlotte is now 16-3 in the A-10. Xavier drops to 21-25 and 12-7 in league play.
Mills (11-1) inches to within one win of the school's single-season record of 12, set by Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and current National League Pitcher of the Month John Maine. Mills' ERA, which was already second in the country at 0.97, stays there for his efforts this afternoon. Mills is now tied with former All-American Tim Collie for career wins (29) and starts (47) with two weeks of regular season games in 2007. He now has 125 strikeouts in 111 innings. He is just 13 punchouts away from second place for batters fanned in a season and ties both Ryan Baker and Brion Treadway for second-most wins in a season.
Charlotte got on the board in the second with Brad McElroy's team-leading eighth home run of the season, a 1-0 pitch driven to left center to lead off the inning. The Niners played small ball in the second after Spencer Steedley walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Lane and a groundout by brother Cory Lane. He scored on a wild pitch by starter Bill Konecny. Charlotte added an insurance run in the eighth, when Cory Lane scored on a ground ball by Kris Rochelle that was converted into a double play.
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The Musketeers did manage nine hits, tying the most Mills has given up this season. Xavier had a baserunner in all but two innings, earning three walks against Mills. In the ninth, Robbie Kelly singled with one out and right fielder Neil Lindgren hit a full-count double to left to get runners at second and third. Pinch hitter Zac Richard walked to load the bases and shortstop Matt Waskerwitz hit a ground ball that the Niners nearly converted into a game-ending double play, but the runner was safe at first to score the lone run of the day.
Mills had to go 111 pitches for the complete game. His A-10 ERA rises to 0.59 as he has allowed just four earned runs in seven league starts this season.
The Niners and Musketeers will return to Hayden Field for game two Friday afternoon at 2:30 when Spencer Steedley opposes Charlie Leesman.
