After beating Charlotte 9-4 on Friday, Memphis has clinched a spot in the American Conference Tournament. Matt Riser’s haven’t appeared in the conference tournament since 2023, but now officially have a spot in next week’s eight-team tournament in Clearwater.
The American only invites the top eight teams to the tournament, meaning the bottom two teams are eliminated after the regular season. Currently, Charlotte, Tulane and South Florida are tied for the final spot, so it appears the final spot could come down to the final game of the regular season on Saturday.
The Tigers jumped on the 49ers early when Brady McAbee hit a two-run homer in the first inning. McAbee has been on a tear, hitting .314 on the season with seven home runs, and he’s riding a six-game hitting streak.
“He’s the epitome of work while you wait,” Riser said after the game. “He’s gotten his opportunity and continued just to go, and as he’s had success, he’s continued to throttle down. He’s continued to double down on what he’s been doing. So, good to see him going.”
Tyler Harrington extended the lead in the second inning with a solo home run, and the Tigers added another run in the third. On the other side, Charlotte struggled to get much going, and it didn’t record a run until the seventh inning.
Will Howell got the start, and he didn’t allow a run in six innings of work. He struck out four batters and allowed a pair of hits and walks in 95 pitches.
Howell was credited with the win, his fifth of the season, and he improves to 5-6 on the year with a 6.82 ERA.
Memphis kicked off the seventh inning with back-to-back doubles and rallied to score five runs, giving the Tigers a 9-0 lead.
Riser turned to the bullpen in the seventh, and Caden Robinson allowed three runs on four hits and an error before getting out of the inning. The skipper kept Robinson in the game, and he allowed another run in the eighth before shutting down the 49ers’ lineup in the ninth to secure a save.
With two games remaining, Memphis sits in fifth place, and it could finish as high as second and as low as seventh depending on results over the next two days. If the Tigers finish fifth through seventh, they will play in a single-elimination game on Wednesday, but if they finish fourth or higher, or win on Wednesday, the bracket becomes double-elimination.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Friday night at 5:05 p.m. CT.