CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte downed UTSA by a score of 8-3 on Saturday afternoon at Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium.
The Roadrunners (27-22, 14-12 C-USA) racked up 11 hits on the day, which matched the 49ers (28-21, 15-11 C-USA), and three UTSA players registered multiple hits. Ben Brookover led the offense with three, including a double, while Jesse Baker and Kevin Markham each had two.
Markham drove in a pair of runs in the sixth with a bases-clearing triple, which was his eighth of the season. His three-bagger, which cut Charlotte's lead down to 5-3, matched Casey Selsor's program single-season record that came back in 2012.
However, a three-run homer by Zach Jarrett in the eighth gave the 49ers the cushion they needed to hold off the Roadrunners and even the weekend series at one game apiece.
UTSA was slow out of the gates on Saturday after shutting out Charlotte on Friday night.
The 49ers opened up the flood gates in the second inning by putting up a five-spot. The 49ers batted around and scored their five runs on three hits and a pair of walks, while UTSA committed one miscue.
Southpaw Nolan Trabanino found his groove the rest of the way, as he held Charlotte off the board through the following 3.1 innings. Trabanino was charged with the loss in his 5.1 frames of work. He allowed five runs on eight hits and walked two.
The Roadrunners went quietly through the first two innings before plating a run in the third.
Bryan Arias scored UTSA's first run after he led off the stanza with a walk. Back-to-back passed balls by Charlotte catcher Harris Yett advanced Arias all the way to third and he was brought home on Brookover's single.
Sunday's rubber game will take place at 11 a.m. (CT).
