Baseball vs. Charlotte Live Thread

[Alan Cole]

Checking in from the press box at Founders Park for the last midweek game of the season. The big news tonight is Will McGillis is back in the starting lineup for the first time since March 24th.....although he is playing left field. An interesting spot there, somewhere he didn't play all year before his injury. Would assume that's an attempt to keep Michael Braswell and Will Tippett -- who homered again Sunday -- in the lineup while Braylen Wimmer is still only available to DH.

Cade Austin will start on the mound, but you'll probably see half a dozen or more pitchers tonight in a game that really does not mean a lot in the big picture with the Tennessee series looming on Thursday. The name of the game tonight is avoiding any injuries and making sure none of the pitchers throw heavy workloads. Here is the lineup for the 7 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+.

Dylan Brewer - CF
Braylen Wimmer - DH
Cole Messina - C
Ethan Petry - RF
Gavin Casas - 1B
Talmadge LeCroy - 3B
Michael Braswell - SS
Will Tippett - 2B
Will McGillis - LF

Cade Austin - P

 

[Alan Cole]

Charlotte's Blake Jackson leads off the game with a single through the left side against the shift, but is erased on a fielder's choice grounder to third. One on and one out.

 

[Alan Cole]

Austin strikes out the next two battesr and sends this game to the bottom of the 1st at 0-0. Dylan Brewer, Braylen Wimmer and Cole Messina due up against Charlotte starter Clark Dearman.

 

[Alan Cole]

Back-to-back full count walks for Brewer and Messina to start the night. Wimmer got a nice hand before his plate appearance, his first home one since the April 28th injury.

 

[Alan Cole]

Messina turns on a 2-1 pitch, lines it into the left field seats and the Gamecocks have a 3-0 lead right out of the gate. Already action in the Charlotte bullpen.

 

[Alan Cole]

Ethan Petry laces a double into the gap in right-center that rolls to the wall, Gavin Casas rolls over one to first that goes for a groundout that moves the runner up, and that's going to be it for Dearman.

Vanderbilt transfer Donye Evans is the new Charlotte pitcher. You're going to see a lot of pitching changes tonight.

 

[Alan Cole]

LeCroy lines the second pitch from Evans over the drawn in infield for an RBI single, 4-0.

Unable to get confirmation on if the run-rule is in effect tonight, although it certainly feels like it would behoove both teams to use it with respective conference series starting in less tahn 48 hours.

 

[bucketdad]

Good to see the lineup changes.

 

[Alan Cole]

Braswel and Tippett walk, and now Will McGillis will hit for the first time since March 24th with the bases loaded.

Gets a standing ovation as he comes to the plate.

 

[Alan Cole]

McGillis goes down on strikes, and Brewer does the same on a 3-2 curve.

4-0 after one.

 

[Alan Cole]

Austin gives up a one-out looper up the middle for a single that Messina quickly erases with a nice throw down for a caught stealing before a strikeout ends the inning.

Meanwhile South Carolina goes 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning on a quick two flyouts and a strikeout to keep it 4-0.

Emphasis on quick.

 

[cockofdawn]

Ooops. 2 run homer by UNCC

 

[Alan Cole]

Charlotte cuts the deficit in half in the third inning after Dante DeFranco leads off with a double and then after a strikeout, leadoff hitter Blake Jackson golfs one into the right-field bullpen.

Speaking of the right-field bullpen, there's action out there as Cade Austin approaches his career high in pitches. He's already over his season high in what is now a 4-2 ballgame.

 

[Alan Cole]

Austin gives up a two-out double, but gets some help from Gavin Casas who makes a nice catch in foul territory up against the dugout to retire the side.

4-2, mid 3rd. Would assume that's all for Austin, who now is over his career-high in pitches with 61. Wesley Sweatt is throwing.

 

[Alan Cole]

Casas works a lead-off walk and LeCroy extends his at-bat to a full count, but ultimately he bounces into a 6-4-3 double play. Nice turn by the 49ers there on a tricky hop at short.

 

[Alan Cole]

Whoa, that was different.

Braswell absolutely scorches a line drive off pitcher Miles Langhorne's glove, straight up into the air to second base for 1-4 pop-out. That'll liven up an otherwise drab midweek, good grief.

4-2 after three.

 

[Alan Cole]

A double and a single with one out in the fourth inning off new pitcher Wesley Sweatt has made this a 4-3 game.

Austin Williamson is warming.

 

[Alan Cole]

Sweatt bounces back with a strikeout, then Gavin Casas makes another nice defensive play to snatch a bouncer to his right and then step on the bag to retire the side. One run on two hits for the 49ers, who again cut the lead in half.

4-3 South Carolina, mid 4th.

 

[Alan Cole]

Will Tippett leads off the 4th with a single to left and then a stolen base. Chance for South Carolina to get that run right back.

 

[Alan Cole]

McGillis grounds to short, Tippett steals another base to get 90 feet away and then Brewer works a walk, immedietely followed by a stolen base of his own on the first pitch to Wimmer.

That's three stolen bases this inning.

Runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.

 

[Alan Cole]

Wimmer strikes out, but then fortune strikes as Tippett has more heads up base running and scores on a wild pitch that didn't kick that far away from the catcher.

Run counts the same though, and it's 5-3.

 

[Alan Cole]

Inning ends as Petry almost hits another homer, but the ball dies on the warning track in left.

One run on one hit with two left. 5-3 Gamecocks after four. Austin Williamson is in to pitch.

 

[Alan Cole]

Williamson strikes out the first two batters he faces and was one strike away from ending the inning without any drama, but he issues a walk and then back-to-back singles that allow the 49ers to plate a run. Still two on, which prompts a mound visit from Justin Parker.

 

[Alan Cole]

Oof. Williamson one strike away from getting out of the inning, but Will Butcher drives a 2-2 pitch deep into the gap in right-center. It splits Brewer and Petry, one-hops the wall and allows both runners to score.

49ers take their first lead of the night at 6-5. Some stretching, but no throwing in the South Carolina bullpen.

 

[Alan Cole]

Strikeout ends the inning. Three runs on three hits for Charlotte, who now leads 6-5 going to the bottom of the 5th.

 

[deanprescott]

I will never understand why our pitchers do not pitch to the glove with the bases empty and 2 outs. That is not a time to be cautious or cute. A walk, 3 hits, a hit batter and 3 runs later, we are down 6-5.

 

[Cockytalk84]

30 pitch inning

 

[cockofdawn]

This team is losing and getting badly outhit by UNCC, this is unacceptable!!

 

[Alan Cole]

Langhorne issues a two-out walk and his day is done, but he was very solid in relief for Charlotte.

New 49ers pitcher is the lefty Andrew Spolyar, who takes over with a runner on first and two down in a 6-5 game.

 

[Alan Cole]

Tippett goes down looking, and we head to the 6th with Charlotte up 6-5.

Brett Thomas is your new pitcher.

 

[cockofdawn]

Sad sad sad. How this once promising season has dipped to hoping for a two seed in Pickens!!

 

[Alan Cole]

A lead-off infield single, a stolen base and a soft grounder to short pushes a runner to third with one out for Charlotte.

 

[Alan Cole]

Thomas gets the second out on a strikeout, then spikes his first offering to Jake Cunningham, which allows the runner to score on the wild ptich.

7-5.

 

[Alan Cole]

Thomas issues a walk to Cunningham, but comes back with a strikeout to end the inning.

Charlotte is outhitting South Carolina 11-4 (and 10-1 since the first inning) but only leads 7-5 on the scoreboard heading to the bottom of the 6th.

 

[cockofdawn]

WTF?? When does football season start?? We need something to pull for!!

 

[Alan Cole]

The one objective for South Carolina tonight was to get through this game withot injuries.....and Will McGillis just hurt himself on a swing.

Crisis avoided though as he stays in the game.

 

[cockofdawn]

The one objective for South Carolina tonight was to get through this game withot injuries.....and Will McGillis just hurt himself on a swing.
Crisis avoided though as he stays in the game.

I hate to disagree Alan, but for confidence they need this win!! Lose another mid week game to a lesser opponent would be devastating to any slim confidence they may have. Just IMO

 

[Alan Cole]

Brewer draws a one-out walk, but nothing else comes from the inning as Wimmer's line shot to right is caught and Messina's hard grounder to short goes for a fielder's choice. 7-5 Charlotte after six.

Also I feel obligated to remind everyone that this is a midweek, it does not count in the SEC standings, South Carolina is 3rd in RPI right now (and Charlotte is top 100, so this won't hurt much), and the series against Tennessee is the actual important thing here.

 

[Alan Cole]

So much for no injuries, either.

McGillis was able to finish his at-bat, but he has been replaced by Evan Stone defensively now. Stone in center, Brewer in left. Nick Proctor on the mound.

 

[Alan Cole]

I hate to disagree Alan, but for confidence they need this win!! Lose another mid week game to a lesser opponent would be devastating to any slim confidence they may have. Just IMO

I get what you're saying but strictly from an NCAA Tournament resume perspective, or trying to host a regional, this game means very little. It's all about Tennessee.