The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Charlotte
Blazers Drop 6-0 Decision to Charlotte
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Charlotte pitcher Sean Geoghegan threw a complete-game shutout, as the 49ers downed the UAB baseball team, 6-0, Friday afternoon in game one of the Conference USA series at Young Memorial Field.
"I usually find positive things to talk about, and as I look around I really can't come up with one," head coach Brian Shoop said. "I didn't think we pitched well, defended well, and our offensive approach was really bad. The worst part is we didn't compete."
Geoghegan went the distance for the first time in his career, allowing just six Blazer hits with five strikeouts. With the loss, UAB drops to 23-16, 10-9 C-USA, while Charlotte improves to 14-21, 8-14 C-USA.
"I don't want to take a single thing away from their guy because he was great," Shoop said. "He pounded the zone, was ahead in the count all night, and a great job by him and we tip our cap to him for sure. But, if that's the level we're going to compete at, we're in trouble."
Just two swings of the bat made the difference in the loss, as the Niners took an early 2-0 advantage off a double by T.J. Nichting, and a 3-run blast from Zach Jarrett in the sixth gave Charlotte the offense it needed in the series opener.
Despite giving up the five earned runs, UAB starter James Naile was effective with 71 percent strikes and six strikeouts. He dropped to 6-3 on the year, while Gavin Niquette worked the final frame out of the bullpen, giving up one run.
Griffin Gum had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an opposite field double into the gap, and single through the right side. Four other Blazers accounted for each of the remaining hits.
The two clubs return to Young Memorial Field Saturday for the middle game of the series. First pitched has been moved up to 1 p.m. due to expected inclement weather. Any updates on Saturday's schedule will be posted at UABSports.com.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
