Spartanburg Falls To Morganton
Web Posted July 5, 2010
Randall Stewart

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Spartanburg was only able to muster five hits against Morganton’s pitching staff as the Blue Eagles lost 6-1 on Monday night in Spartanburg.

Alex Dozier reached base in all five plate appearances, collecting three singles, a walk, and reaching on an error. But the rest of the Blue Eagles lineup combined to hit a paltry 2-for-30, and could only manage to score a single run when the game was far out of reach.

Down by six runs in the eighth inning, Spartanburg appeared ready to mount a comeback after Dozier and Josh Pless reached safely. But consecutive strikeouts and a sharp groundout ended the Blue Eagle inning.

Spartanburg again threatened in the ninth, using a 12-pitch walk by Austen Barber and an RBI fielder’s choice by Matt Moore to cut the deficit to five runs before Brian Willis induced a fly ball to center, sealing the victory for the Aggies.

Dylan Cole took the loss for Spartanburg, surrendering four runs off five hits in five innings of work. Cole began the game with three perfect innings, but a hit batsman and a home run in the fourth inning provided all the offense Morganton would need. The Aggies struck for two more runs in the sixth off Cole. Kelly Wright and George Schaefer also gave up single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

For the second consecutive day, Erskine product Zac McCarthy brought the home crowd to its feet with his effort defensively. McCarthy made a difficult diving catch in left field to end the Morganton half of the seventh and save two runs.

With the loss, Spartanburg drops to 18-13 on the season, 11-5 in the SCBL West. The Blue Eagles will play on the road Wednesday night before returning home on Friday to face Morganton again in a doubleheader. Games will begin at 5:00. Friday’s doubleheader will be sponsored by Coca-Cola of Spartanburg, and mascots from local sports teams and restaurants will be on hand. Tickets are available at the gate for $5.