CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Behind a quartet of home runs, the Charlotte 49ers baseball team notched its fourth shutout of the season with a 13-0 victory over Rice on Friday afternoon (May 6).
 
The four shutouts are the most the Green and White (29-17, 12-10 C-USA) have had in a single season since the 2018 campaign. Cam Fisher, Jake Cunningham, Kaden Hopson, and David McCabe all left the yard for the fifth game this season that Charlotte has totaled at least four homers in a game. It brings the season total of home runs up to 76, 10 more than last year's total of 66 in 61 games, and is currently the third-most home runs the Niners have hit in a single season.
 
Cunningham's homer was a two-run shot that he paired with a fielder's choice with the bases loaded in the fifth and a single in the sixth for a team-high four RBIs in the game. Fisher and Hopson each had two runners on base for a pair of three-run homers and McCabe hit his with Nate Furman on first for a two-run shot. Cunningham and Fisher each led the team with three hits while McCabe and Furman had a pair of knocks. Hopson's homer was his only hit of the game and Drew Tyndall picked up a pinch-hit double to score Fisher in the fifth.
 
Hale Sims got the start on the mound and turned in his second quality start as part of a combined shutout this season. He went the first seven innings and only allowed four hits with two walks while striking out eight batters to match his career-high. Quinton Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout and Evan Michelson pitched the ninth in his first appearance since March 2 against Purdue - where he left the game with an injury after throwing just two pitches. It was a successful return to the bump for Michelson, who sat the side down in order with a pair of strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Fisher got the scoring started early, hitting his home run in the opening frame. Furman legged out an infield single up the middle in the Niners' first at bat of the day and Jack Dragum worked a walk to put two on for Fisher's team-leading 15th homer of the season down the line in right. Cunningham hit his three innings later in the fourth, lacing a liner over the wall in left to make it 5-0 after Will Butcher drew a leadoff walk to start the inning.
 
Cunningham was responsible for bringing home the Niners' next run as well when a chopper to second with the bases loaded in the fifth inning scored Josh Madole from third. Madole, Fisher, and Butcher all walked to start the frame before Cunningham grounded into a fielder's choice. The Rice (13-32, 6-16 C-USA) fielder tried to turn two but was only able to get Butcher at second, allowing Madole to score and leaving Fisher and Cunningham on the corners.
 
Tyndall came in to pinch hit for Austin Knight in the next at bat and found the gap in left to plate Fisher and move Cunningham to third with a double. Hopson was the next batter and hit his third homer of the season over the wall in left on a full count to get CLT to double digits, 10-0. Charlotte's big inning wasn't over yet as Furman singled for his second hit of the game and came home in the next at bat when McCabe sent a moon shot over the wall in right-center for his seventh home run in as many games. The Niners added one more run in the sixth when Cunningham singled to center to bring home Fisher after the latter picked up his second hit of the game and then swiped second.
 
UP NEXT
The teams meet again on Saturday (May 7) before finishing the series on Sunday. Due to inclement weather forecasted for Saturday afternoon, Saturday's start time has been moved up to 11:00 a.m.