PREVIEW: Charlotte at Florida Atlantic

BOCA RATON, Fla. (Interstat) — Two teams with identical 19-21 records open a pivotal American Athletic Conference series Friday night at FAU Baseball Stadium.

Charlotte visits Florida Atlantic for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. The forecast calls for 74 degrees and cloudy skies.

The Charlotte 49ers arrive after a 5-4, 10-inning loss Tuesday to Campbell. Right-hander Ryan Combs threw two scoreless innings of relief in that game, striking out three while allowing no hits. Combs has been inconsistent this season, however, posting a 9.00 earned run average across his last three outings (3.1 innings, four earned runs).

The Florida Atlantic Owls also dropped a midweek game, falling 5-4 at home Wednesday to Miami (Fla.). Right-hander Reilly Witmer impressed in that contest, pitching two hitless innings with two strikeouts. Over his past three appearances, spanning 5.1 innings, Witmer has allowed no earned runs and just one hit.

Charlotte’s offense has been sporadic. The 49ers have lost five of their past six games, allowing 10 or more runs in three of those defeats. Center fielder Spencer Nolan homered and drove in a run in Tuesday’s loss.

Florida Atlantic has lost four of five. The Owls’ pitching staff has surrendered 12 runs in consecutive losses entering the series opener.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-1 Florida Atlantic victory.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday, both at 1 p.m.