Garrett Hanselman, shown here from 2005, returned to Charlotte this fall and made an impact in game one of the NWS
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
In case you didn’t get the memo… Garrett Hanselman is back.
The junior hit a towering leadoff, two-strike homerun in the final at-bat as the White Team defeated the Black Team 3-2 in game one of the Niners World Series Tuesday at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. The series, a three-game wrap-up of fall practice, continues Wednesday afternoon at the stadium, with batting practice at 2:30 and first pitch scheduled for approximately 3:20 p.m. Game three is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. following a home run derby and Atlantic 10 Championship ring ceremony at 11 a.m.
After playing for the Charlotte 49ers baseball squad in 2005, Hanselman went on a two-year Mormon mission and came back to baseball last year at South Mountain Junior College and made the trek back to Charlotte (in a new conference and in a new stadium) in time for two more seasons of eligibility at Charlotte.
Pitching dominated the afternoon as Black’s Patrick Lawson and White’s Tyler Pilkington kept the scoring down early. Lawson allowed one run in just over five innings of work, while Pilkington allowed a pair of unearned runs through six innings. Neither pitcher factored in the decision.
In the seventh, first baseman Ryan Rivers doubled to left off of reliever Bryan Hamilton and advanced to third on a throwing error. Two batters later, Rivers scored when Miquel Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to left to score the run and even the game at two.
In the bottom half of the final frame, Hanselman fouled off several pitches from reliever Chad Rothlin until he found one to deposit over the pine trees beyond the left field fence to end the outing.
The teams are playing for their choice of meal at an end-of-fall gathering. The teams will dine together, but the winners will dine on steak, while the others will be nourished with a hot dog plate.
Niners World Series – Game One
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Black 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 7 2
White 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 5 1
WP: Bryan Hamilton LP: Chad Rothlin
HR: Garrett Hanselman
Black lead series 1-0 Game Two: Wednesday, 3:20 p.m. Game Three: Saturday, 1 p.m.
