Courtesy: Charlotte 49ers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte 49ers pitcher Blake Gillespie pitched a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over James Madison.
It was the second no-hitter in program history behind Ronnie Honeycutt.
Gillespie was in command from start to finish, getting ahead in the count consistently throughout the night. He finished the game with a career-high 11 strikeouts with his lone walk coming in the second inning. Following that, he retired the next 22 hitters and struck out five of the last six batters.
The right-hander earned his first win of the season and threw a career-high 113 pitches.
Charlotte got the scoring going in the second inning with a two-RBI single from Caleb Estes. The 49ers added another run in the sixth off a Connor Maryniak homerun, his first of the year.
Charlotte captured a commanding 5-0 lead in the seventh when Carson Bayne hit a two-RBI double down the left field line.
Gillespie is in his first year with the 49ers, transferring from Georgia after two seasons. He’s had a slow start to the season but the no-hitter should boost his confidence the rest of the season.
In four appearances, Gillespie is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA across 23.2 innings pitched. The junior pitcher has thrown 27 strikeouts while allowing 16 hits, 10 earned runs and six walks in 2025.
The Charlotte 49ers baseball team improves to 5-6 on the year. They’re coming off a heartbreaking series against No. 4 Arkansas. Despite going 0-3, the 49ers pushed the Razorbacks to its limits in a tough road environment, losing by a combined five runs.
Friday’s game was the first of a three-game series. Game 2 on Saturday is at 2 p.m. with the series finale taking place Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday’s game can been watched on ESPN+.
