Baseball 5/27/2011 8:00:00 AM Atlantic 10 Conference

#1 Charlotte Advances To Title Game With 5-2 Win Over #2 Rhode Island

May 27, 2011

CAMDEN, N.J. – Ross Steedley was 3-for-3 with two runs batted in and Justin Roland went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI as the Charlotte 49ers advanced to the championship round of the 2011 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship with a 5-2 win on Friday afternoon at Campbell’s Field. The 49ers will play on the final day of the tournament for the fourth time in five years.

“That’s a fun game to be apart of," stated Charlotte's Ross Steedley. "That is how baseball should be played. [Stephen Peterson] was good and [Tyler Barnette] was good. Tyler has been good all year. He is the A-10 Rookie of the Year, has a great ERA and a great record. We expect that from him every time he is out. They are a good team. We will see them again.”

Charlotte (41-14) opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth, pushing three runs across the plate on four hits. Four straight singles off the bats of Shane Basen, Corbin Shive, Corey Shaylor, and Steedley gave the 49ers a 1-0 lead.

Justin Seager followed with a sacrifice fly to center before Roland’s squeeze bunt scored Shaylor to extend the margin to three.

In the top of the sixth, Rhode Island (31-21) took advantage of a pair of Charlotte miscues to cut the deficit to one. Jeff Roy led off the frame with a single up the middle and went to second on a base hit to left by Jeff Cammans.

Both runners advanced on a failed pickoff attempt by Charlotte hurler Tyler Barnette to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Mike LeBel followed with a ground to ball to short that was mishandled by Roland and brought Roy home with the Rams’ first run of the game.

With runners at the corners and nobody out, LeBel stole second before Tom Coulombe hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Cammans and make it a 3-2 game.

Roland atoned for his error in the seventh, leading off with a double down the left field line and coming in to score two batters later on a single by Cory Tilton to double the lead.

Steedley restored the three-run advantage in the bottom of the eight with a one-out single to right that score pinch runner Michael Green and put the 49ers on top, 5-2.

Chad Rothlin closed the door in the ninth, finishing off a three and a third innings of hitless baseball for his second save of the year. Barnette improved to 9-1 on the season, tossing five and two-thirds, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits.

Stephen Peterson (6-4) took the loss for the Rams, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings.

URI will face the winner of the Dayton-Richmond contest at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The winner of that game will face Charlotte on Saturday at noon.

Friday's games are being webstreamed live, free of charge to fans, through the A-10's official website -- www.atlantic10.com. For complete coverage of the 2011 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.com.

Tickets are available through the Campbell's Field box office or by calling 866-742-7579. Single-day tickets are available for $8 for adults and $4 for children, students with a valid ID and senior citizens. On Saturday, during the noon game, the first 100 kids to enter will receive an A-10 duffle bag and water bottle.