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5/11/2025 | 1:00 PM
May. 11 (Sun) / 1:00 PM
UAB
History
CHARLOTTE – They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. That cannot be said, however, for Hayes Magic. For the second consecutive game, Charlotte Baseball walked off UAB on Saturday (May 10) in a 6-5 victory at Hayes Stadium.
Charlotte (30-20, 14-9) trailed by two entering the home half of the ninth inning and was down to its final out, still down by one, before completing the comeback. Dawson Bryce was the hero this time around, roping a double down the line in left to score Logan Poteet from second to send the home crowd into a frenzy for the second game in a row.
A day after hitting the walk-off home run to win the game in the series opener, Connor Maryniak played a vital role in Saturday’s comeback as he tied the game one at bat before Bryce’s winner with a single to score Thad Ector from second on a chopper that ricocheted off the third-base bag, further proving the validity of Hayes Magic in the air on Senior Day.
Bryce and Poteet both had two hits in the game, while Poteet was the only Niner that drove in multiple runs after a double and a home run. Juan Rivera brought in a run and singled, as did Ector with a pinch-hit double in the ninth, while Blake Martin and Spencer Nolan extended their hitting streaks to four consecutive games with one single apiece.
In similar fashion to UAB in Friday’s game, all six of Charlotte’s runs on Saturday came with two outs on the board.
Andrew Kribbs got the start on the mound and tossed his third quality start of the season in his final home outing as part of a no-decision. He fanned four UAB (23-27, 7-16 American) batters in seven innings while only being charged with one earned run. Chase Carson was the only arm out of the bullpen the Green and White turned to and he picked up one strikeout in the final two frames while improving to 3-0 on the season after being credited with the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UAB opened the scoring in the third inning, taking advantage of a Charlotte error to bring a pair of unearned runs around.
The Blazers held the lead until the fifth when the Niners answered with two runs to tie the game. Carbon-copy singles through the left side of the infield by Martin and Nolan to start the inning put a pair on before a sacrifice bunt from Caleb Estes pushed both into scoring position. A groundout from Rivera brought the Niners’ first run of the game home before a double to the gap in right from Poteet leveled the game by bringing Martin across the plate.
Charlotte took the lead for the first time in the contest after the stretch in the seventh inning when Poteet took one the opposite way for a solo home run into the Niners’ bullpen.
The lead for the home team was short-lived as UAB launched a home run of its own in the top of the eighth, hitting one off the flagpole in dead center with a pair of runners on to retake a two-run advantage, 5-3.
CLT went quietly in the eighth before roaring back in the ninth, matching the Blazers’ three-spot with one of its own to walk it off for the second night in a row. Martin led the inning off and struck out on three pitches but reached first base on a wild delivery for strike three. He moved up 90 feet on a second wild pitch to enter scoring position before coming home on a double from Ector.
Ector pinch hit for Estes and swung at the first pitch he saw, blasting one just fair past the UAB first baseman for two bases. A fly ball to center put the Niners down to their final out before Poteet took a four-pitch walk to keep the inning going with the winning run on base.
Maryniak followed Poteet to the plate and hit a high chopper on a 1-0 count down the third-base line. The Blazer defender tried to scoop the ball and step on the bag, but the ball bounced right off the base and over his glove, allowing Ector to score from second and Poteet to take his spot in scoring position with the game tied. Bryce was the next batter up and delivered the heroics, taking a pitch in the same count as Maryniak down the line in left for the walk-off double to clinch the series for the Green and White.
UP NEXT
Charlotte looks for its third weekend sweep of the season and second in conference play with the series finale against UAB on Sunday (May 11). First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. from The Hayes and will feature special first pitches from all of the Niners’ mothers in attendance in honor of Mother’s Day.