Late rally falls short in series finale

Sunday, March 8

Wilmington, N.C.

11 a.m.

University of Memphis

10-5

UNCW

10-5

Memphis

UNCW

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Mar 08, 2020 | Baseball

Box Score

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A ninth-inning rally fell short on Sunday afternoon at Brooks Field as Memphis dropped a 4-3 decision in the series finale against UNCW.

Junior Ben Brooks collected his fifth multi-hit game of the season with a 3-for-5 performance. The junior also drove in the Tigers' first run of the day. Freshman Braden Webb continued his strong weekend with a 3-for-4 day with an RBI.

Trailing 4-1 in the final inning, freshman Austin Baskin and junior Chris Swanberg led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Webb trimmed the deficit to 4-2 with an RBI hit, and a wild pitch put the Tigers within a run. That would be as close as the Tigers could scratch as a pair of strikeouts ended the game.

For the third straight day, Memphis scored the game's first run when Webb doubled to start the third inning and later scored off the bat of Brooks.

The Seahawks answered in the bottom of the third with an unearned run, and then claimed their first lead of the series when a wild pitch made it a 2-1 game.

UNCW added to its lead in the sixth with a pair of runs behind a wild pitch and defensive miscue.

Memphis will remain on the road for its next five contests. The Tigers will start next week with a pair of midweek games at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to Indiana for its next weekend series.

Both of the Tigers' games against the Blue Raiders next week are set for 3 p.m. starts.