Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
19-24-1, 8-13
Charlotte
28-16, 11-10
49ers Outlast Herd in Slugfest
5/1/2022 10:31:00 PM | Baseball
Billups hit pair of home runs
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall University baseball team (19-24-1, 8-13 C-USA) fell in the series finale to the Charlotte 49ers (28-16, 11-10 C-USA), 14-12, in a slugfest at the Kennedy Center on Sunday afternoon.
Charlotte got on the board first with five runs on six hits in the top of the first.
The Herd quickly loaded the bases the next half inning as Travis Sankovich was hit by a pitch, Jordon Billups singled through the right side and Luke Edwards drew a walk on five pitches. Edwards reached base for the 53rd straight game with the free pass. After a pair of strikeouts, Drew Steelhammer drew a two-out walk with a 3-2 count to score Sankovich as Marshall trailed 5-1.
Starting pitcher Ryan Capuano settled in and struck out a pair of 49ers in a scoreless top of the second. Daniel Carinci and Geordon Blanton each drew walks to begin the bottom of the frame. Sankovich followed with a double to right center, scoring Carinci and moving Blanton to third with no outs. Billups then grounded out to short, but scored Blanton to cut the deficit to two, 5-3.
Cole Agemy came on from the bullpen and threw a 1-2-3 top of the third.
Charlotte's Cam Fisher hit a two-out, three-run homer to extend his side's lead to 8-3 in the top of the fourth. After Blanton led off the bottom of the inning with a single and a stolen base, Edwards hit a two-out single to left center to score Blanton as the Herd sat at an 8-4 disadvantage.
Agemy rebounded the next inning as he faced the minimum after catching Hunter Baker stealing to end the frame. Marshall proceeded to load the bases after a Steelhammer single, Christian Lucio was hit by a pitch and Blanton drew a walk with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Marshall scored a run on bases loaded walk issued to Sankovich as Billups stepped up to the plate. Billups sent a 1-0 offering over the wall in right center for a grand slam to give the Herd a 9-8 lead.
David McCabe tied the contest with a solo homer in the sixth and the 49ers added three runs in the seventh to regain the lead, 12-9.
Billups cut the deficit to one, 12-11, with his second two-out long ball of the contest in the bottom of the seventh on a 2-2 pitch.
Charlotte took advantage of a Marshall error in the eighth to plate a pair of runs and extend its lead to 14-11. Carnici tallied a run for the Herd on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning, but it couldn't overcome the deficit in the ninth.
Billups finished the ballgame 3-for-6 with a pair of long balls and seven RBI.
UP NEXT
Marshall is back in action on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center against Virginia Tech at 3 p.m.
For all the latest information about Marshall baseball, follow @HerdBaseball on Twitter and @herdbsb on Instagram.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tony Rossi (4-0)
L: Agemy, Cole (2-2)
S: Quinton Martinez (1)
Batting:
2B: David McCabe 1
HR: David McCabe 1 ; Cam Fisher 1
RBI: David McCabe 2 ; Josh Madole 1 ; Cam Fisher 3 ; Will Butcher 2 ; Austin Knight 1 ; Kaden Hopson 1 ; Hunter Baker 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nate Furman 1 ; David McCabe 2 ; Jack Dragum 2 ; Josh Madole 3 ; Cam Fisher 4 ; Will Butcher 1 ; Austin Knight 1
CS: Jack Dragum 1 ; Hunter Baker 1
Batting:
2B: Sankovich, Travis 1 ; Steelhammer, Drew 1 ; Lucio, Christian 1
HR: Billups, Jordon 2
RBI: Sankovich, Travis 2 ; Billups, Jordon 7 ; Edwards, Luke 1 ; Steelhammer, Drew 1 ; Carinci, Daniel 1
SF: Carinci, Daniel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sankovich, Travis 3 ; Billups, Jordon 2 ; Leitch, Ryan 1 ; Steelhammer, Drew 1 ; Lucio, Christian 1 ; Carinci, Daniel 1 ; Blanton, Geordon 3
SB: Blanton, Geordon 1
HBP: Sankovich, Travis 1 ; Lucio, Christian 1
