HOUSTON – No. 3 Charlotte defeated No. 7 Middle Tennessee 9-8 in the final game of day four of the 2023 Conference USA Baseball Championship on Saturday afternoon from Reckling Park in Houston on the campus of Rice University. The 49ers’ win eliminated the Blue Raiders and punched Charlotte’s ticket to Sunday’s title game, which will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network against the top-seeded DBU Patriots.
 
Charlotte, as it did in the first game of the day against the Blue Raiders, took an early lead in the bottom of the first. Jack Dragum clubbed his third home run of the day, another two-run shot, to left-center to put the 49ers on top 2-0.
 
The 49ers continued their offensive onslaught in the second inning, extending their lead to 5-0. They loaded the bases and scored via a double play, but then Cam Fisher came to the plate. He crushed his sixth home run of the tournament, a two-run shot, which was his 30^th of the season. Fisher, who is the active NCAA national leader in the category, tied the C-USA single-season record which has stood since 1998 (Jason Sparks, Tulane). The last player to homer in five consecutive games at Reckling Park was Lance Berkman, who did so in 1997.
 
Middle Tennessee got its bats going in the top of the third with a couple of hits, including a two-out RBI single by Jeremiah Boyd. DJ Wright then smashed an RBI double into the gap in left-center to plate another run and trim the lead to 5-2. The Blue Raiders then stranded runners at second and third as Charlotte quelled the threat.
 
Brandon Stahlman stole home in the bottom of the third with two outs on a double steal attempt to push the Charlotte lead to 6-2.
 
Charlotte kept on scoring in the bottom of the fifth, tallying two more runs. A sacrifice bunt attempt by Spencer Nolan turned into a two-run throwing error, which extended the 49ers’ lead to 8-2.
 
Middle Tennessee erupted for five runs in the top of the sixth to get back into the game at 8-7. Jackson Galloway drove in the first with a groundout to short, and then with two outs Eston Snider hit a three-run shot to left-center. Brett Coker followed that up with a sharply hit RBI single into left to bring the Blue Raiders within a run.
 
Snider struck again with a monster solo shot to left field to square things at 8-8 in the top half of the eighth inning.
 
In the bottom of the eighth it was none other than Fisher to break the tie. He’s hit home runs all week, but in this moment, it was bloop double down the line in left against the shift that allowed Blake Jackson to score standing up all the way from first to give Charlotte a 9-8 lead. Fisher finished the day 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, three RBI and a pair of walks. The sophomore now has 12 RBI in the tournament, just one shy of the record (Aaron Luna, Rice, 2007 and Jarrett Hoffpauir, Southern Miss, 2004).
 
Donye Evans came on to pick up the save for the 49ers, shutting down the Blue Raiders in order in the ninth to book a trip to the title game against top-seeded DBU.