Memphis lost its series finale against Charlotte 8-7 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. The Tigers clinched a spot in the American Conference tournament on Friday, and they will now wait to see what seed they get.
Seth Garner made the start for Matt Riser’s squad, but he gave up a two-run homer in the first inning, putting Memphis in an early hole. The Tigers responded with three runs in the second inning, but Garner allowed three more runs in the bottom of the second, ending his outing after two innings.
Garner left the game with one strikeout and allowed five runs on five hits and a walk.
After getting out of the second inning, Memphis scored four runs on six hits, including a two-run homer from James Smith IV, to give the team a 7-5 lead. Smith went 8-for-12 at the plate and added seven RBI this weekend.
Riser turned to Logan Rushing in the bottom of the third inning, and he threw four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. Neither team could get much going over the next five innings, and the Tigers went into the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run lead.
Memphis turned to closer Carson Fair in the eighth inning, and he got through the frame with little trouble, but that wasn’t the case in the ninth inning. The closer walked the first batter and then gave up back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs.
Fair settled down a little and struck out the fourth batter to record the first out, and the Tigers picked up the second out in the next at-bat, leading now by one run on the RBI ground-out. Three pitches later, Cody Gunderson hit a liner down the left field line to score two runs and secure the win.
Fair was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on three walks and three hits in 1.2 innings.
Charlotte clinched a spot in the conference tournament with the victory, and it looks like the two could meet in the first round of the conference tournament on Wednesday. Memphis is currently the No. 5 seed in the conference, and they will play the No. 8 seed Wednesday evening, which is currently Charlotte.
After a competitive series to end the season, it will be interesting to see how these two teams look if they face off against each other for a fourth straight game. The first two games of the conference tournament are single-elimination, but if the Tigers win, they will play the No. 4 seed on Thursday.