CONWAY , SC — The Coastal Carolina University baseball team (16-5) gave up three runs in the third inning to Kent State University (7-12) and the Golden Flashes made those runs hold up as the Chants had only four hits in a 3-2 loss March 24 at Charles Watson Stadium at Vrooman Field in Conway, S.C.

The Golden Flashes scored three in the third, two on a single off the bat of Chad Kinyon, scoring Todd Balduf and Emmannuel Burriss. With Kinyon on first and Andrew Davis on third, Kent State tried a double steal. Davis scored and Kinyon moved back to first after a failed attempt at a rundown. That would be all of the offense for the Golden Flashes as Coastal limited them to six hits and no runs the rest of the way.

In the bottom of the third, the Chants got one run on an RBI single by sophomore Mike Costanzo (Springfield, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), scoring senior Ryan McGraw (Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic Central). The Chants came back in the fourth with a run. Junior Jason Krohn (Gresham, Ore./Lower Columbia College) walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Senior Chad Oxendine (Rowland, N.C./Avalon Academy) brought him in with a sacrifice fly to right.

Coastal had runners on first and second in the sixth with two outs, but reliever Shane Curry got junior Brett Grandstand (Newcastle, Wash./Liberty) to strike out to end the threat. In the ninth, McGraw and sophomore Michael DeJesus (Manapalan, N.J./Manapalan) both walked, but Costanzo struck out to end the game.

Freshman Andy DeLaGarza (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) took the loss for Coastal. He went 2.2 innings, striking out two and giving up three hits, three runs and three walks. The bullpen of junior Mike Andreas (Hanover, Pa./Georgia Tech), sophomore Zach Baldwin (Barboursville, W.V.a/Cabell Midland), junior Jake Hurry (East Moline, Ill/Alleman) and Costanzo did not allow and run while striking out four.

Jason Seelman earned the win in relief for Kent State, striking out one in 1.2 innings. Evan Smith was the KSU starter, striking out four in four innings. Phil Bojc pitched a hitless ninth for his second save.

DeJesus had two of Coastal’s four hits. Kinyon was 2-of-4 for Kent State, while Balduf and Kurt Eichorn also had two hits.

Coastal opens up a big three-game series with Big South Conference foe Birmingham-Southern College Friday, March 26, at 6 p.m., in Conway, S.C.