Cory Lane's 11th triple tied the C-USA record and broke the Charlotte all-time mark. |
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Cory Lane Homers, Triples Again for Record in 11-6 Win
May 17, 2005
Greenville, S.C. - Sophomore Cory Lane fell just a double short of the cycle, hitting his sixth homer of the season and tying the Conference USA record with his 11th triple to help lead the Charlotte 49ers to an 11-6 non-conference win over Furman on Tuesday night.
Lane hit a home run to right on the second pitch of the game, making him the first to accomplish that feat since Thomas Bowker on March 30, 2003. He hit his 11th triple in the third inning, breaking the school's single-season record and tying the Conference USA mark. He hit his seventh triple in league play last weekend against Houston to break that mark as well.
Lane also singled in the ninth inning, and finished the night 3-for-6 with 4 RBI and a pair of runs scored. He was robbed of a third consecutive extra-base hit and potential double leading off the top of the fourth, when senior left fielder Sam McClain made a diving catch at the warning track.
Charlotte (28-23) struck for three runs in the second to make the final home game for Paladin starter Kyle Funk a short one. The senior allowed a leadoff single by O'Brien Taylor, who was sacrificed to second. Alex Bryant then hit a ball to the shortstop, who threw to third but didn't get Taylor to leave two on for Cory Lane. His triple plated both runs, and Mike Ambrose followed with a double to chase Funk, but reliever Sam Perry closed out the inning to minimize the damage.
Chris Lane matched his brother by hitting a home run in the top of the third, a two-out, two-run shot that put the 49ers up 6-1. Both of Chris' homers this season have come in games where his twin also had a dinger.
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Furman (23-27) scored single runs in the second and third innings, the latter coming on a high throw down to third following a stolen base that allowed the runner to score unearned.
The Paladins scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the game interesting, starting with consecutive doubles by Nick Wajda and Andrew Greene. After Steedley gave way to reliever B.J. Hagen, an A.J. Davidiuk single through the left side to cut the lead to 7-4. Following a groundout, Case Cassidy hit what looked like a double play ball to short but an error by Mike Ambrose left runners on the corners. The Paladins took advantage, scoring a pair of unearned runs on a groundout and a double to cut the gap to just 7-6.
The 49ers regained control of the game in the top of the seventh, when Garrett Hanselman drove a single into right field that got by the fielder for a two-base error. O'Brien Taylor's second home run of the season gave Charlotte a 9-6 lead.
That was all the cushion the 49ers would need, as Hagen picked up the win and Matt Foard closed out the last three innings to earn his third save of the season. Charlotte added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth on consecutive RBI singles by Cory Lane and Mike Ambrose.
The 49ers drew consecutive walks with one out in the third, and appeared to score when catcher Michael Rumpke airmailed a throw into right field while attempting to pick Rochelle off first. But the umpiring crew got together and ruled that the batter, Spencer Steedley, had interfered with the throw and sent the runners back. Steedley promptly walked to chase Perry, but the third Furman pitcher of the game, Patrick Arnett, got out of a bases loaded jam to hold the Niners scoreless in the frame.
The Niners scored in the top of the fifth when Chris Lane drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on a RBI single through the right side by Alex Bryant.
This was the second meeting between the two teams this season. The 49ers earned a 6-1 win in Charlotte on April 19, using a four-run seventh inning to break open a 1-0 game. Adam Mills allowed no runs on just two hits in five innings, but Matt Foard picked up the win with just one run allowed over the final four innings.
Charlotte wraps both the regular season and its tenure in Conference USA with a three-game series at Memphis beginning Thursday night. That game will begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The teams will meet on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
