Charlotte sweeps Tech in doubleheader

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Louisiana Tech’s road woes continued Saturday as the Bulldogs were swept by Conference USA foe Charlotte in a doubleheader at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium.

Tech (10-12, 1-6 C-USA) struggled at the plate in the series opener with six hits and seven strikeouts, while an early 2-0 lead for Charlotte (9-12, 3-8 C-USA) led to a 5-0 victory for the 49ers in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

In the nightcap, the Bulldog bats came alive with 14 hits, but that did not translate into runs as Tech stranded 12 baserunners over nine innings to help give Charlotte a 9-5 win and series victory.

“We told our guys they have to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations,” Tech head coach Greg Goff said. “You have to be good to win on the road and I don’t think we played very well today. We have to be able to pitch and play defense every day, and we did not do that today.”

The series between Tech and the 49ers is scheduled to conclude at noon CT Sunday at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium in Charlotte. The Bulldogs will send right-hander Laetten Galbraith (2-3, 3.28 ERA) to the mound, while Charlotte will counter with lefty Josh Maciejewski (1-2, 3.42 ERA).

Charlotte 5, La. Tech 0 (Game 1): For the first time in 2015, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were shut out on the diamond as Charlotte starter Sean Geoghegan to no runs on six hits in a 49er win in the first game of the doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

Charlotte got off to an ideal start in the first inning when a leadoff walk set up 49er center fielder Zach Jarrett for a two-run home run to left-center for an early 2-0 deficit for Tech. The Niners scored two more runs in the fourth before adding an insurance run in the seventh, which led to a 5-0 victory for the home team.

Geoghegan (3-2) pitched spectacular for the 49ers in the first game, holding Tech to no runs on six hits, while striking out six Bulldogs and walking just one in 7 2-3 innings on the way to earning his third win of the season.

Clancy (3-3) was charged with the loss for Tech after allowing four runs on five hits and walking four in five innings of work. Mark Baughman came on in relief in the sixth and held Charlotte to one run on one hit in three innings on the mound.

The 49ers extended their lead to 4-0 over the Bulldogs in the bottom half of the fourth with back-to-back two-out singles by Logan Sherer and Hunter Jones, followed by a balk and two wild pitches by Clancy to score two additional runs for Charlotte.

Tech surrendered its final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh after Niner shortstop Luke Gibbs led off the inning with a triple and later scored on a chopper to third base to give Charlotte a 5-0 lead.

The Bulldogs were led by both Taylor Nichols and Taylor Love, who were each 2-for-4 on the afternoon. Mason Paxton and Brent Diaz also totaled one hit apiece in the loss.

Charlotte 9, La. Tech 5 (Game 2): Charlotte scored five unearned runs and Tech stranded 12 baserunners to help clinch the series for the 49ers with a 9-5 victory over the Bulldogs in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader.

Tech starter Phil Maton (3-1) was charged with the loss, despite only giving up three earned runs and a total of eight. Maton allowed eight hits and struck out three in five innings on the mound.

Charlotte’s J.D. Prochaska (2-2) earned the win for the 49ers after giving up four runs – three earned – on nine hits in 5 2-3 innings pitched. Trevor Gay pitched an inning and a third, while giving up one run, while Micah Wells (2) picked up his second save of the season after holding Tech scoreless in the final two innings of the day.

Similar to the series opener, Charlotte jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after Danny Raley led off the game with a double in the right-center gap and scored on a bouncing infield single by Brad Elwood for a 1-0 advantage.

In the top of the second, Tech catcher Brent Diaz singlehandedly knotted the game with a solo home run to tie the game at 1. J.D. Perry quickly started a Tech rally in the third with a leadoff triple to left-center, the first by any Bulldog hitter this season. Perry later came around to score for a 2-1 Tech lead on an RBI ground out by Chandler Hall.

The 49ers once again took the lead with a big inning in the third after the Bulldogs allowed five unearned runs to cross the plate on three hits and two errors to give Charlotte a 6-2 lead over Tech.

Tech cut the lead to three in the top of the fifth on an infield single by Bryce Stark, but Charlotte responded in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs on three base hits to make it an 8-3 lead for the 49ers after five innings of play.

Tech scored another run in the sixth after Diaz reached first on an error to lead off the inning. Nichols followed up with a single to left before Paxton earned an RBI on a hit through the right side to make it an 8-4 lead for the 49ers. Diaz, Nichols and Paxton then combined for three straight two-out singles in the seventh to make it just a three-run ballgame with Charlotte holding on to an 8-5 lead with two innings to play.

Despite the loss, Tech outhit Charlotte, 14-9, in Game 2 of the doubleheader, but the Bulldogs stranded 12 baserunners, 11 of which were left on base after the fourth inning. Nichols had a career day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double, while Perry was also a perfect 3-for-3 on the night with a triple, a walk and a run scored.