The Coastal Carolina University baseball team (42-11, 19-2 Big South) completed a three-game sweep of the University of North Carolina at Asheville (11-37, 3-18 Big South) with a 7-3 win May 15 in Asheville, N.C.

Coastal came out after over a one hour rain delay and exploded for five runs in the top of the first. Senior Chris Todd (Seattle, Wash./Bellevue C.C.) led off the game with a single and scored on sophomore Dom Duggan’s (Cranberry Twp., Pa./John Carroll) team-leading 15th double of the season. Duggan came home when junior Mike Costanzo (Springfield, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) laced his 11th home run of the season to left field. After UNCA’s Eric Brotzman retired the next two batters, junior Aaron Verrett (Jupiter, Fla./Polk C.C.) hit an infield single and freshman Tommy Baldridge walked. Both runners came across on a double over the rightfielder’s head by junior Mike Fuentes (Miami, Fla./North Florida C.C.).

Asheville scored in the third as Ben Kerr’s single drove in Aaron DeRatt, but Coastal made it 6-1 in the fifth as Baldridge’s single brought in DeJesus.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs scored a run. Nathan Durham singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a throwing error by Todd.

A big play happened in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Josh Coyle singled and it looked to score Kerr, but senior Jon Foisy (Ridgecrest, Calif./Cerro Coso C.C.) threw him out at the plate to leave the score at 6-2 Coastal.

Coastal brought home a run in the top of the eighth. Baldridge led off with a single and was pinch ran for by junior Kevin Entsminger (Canton, Mich./College of the Siskiyous). Entsminger was sacrificed over by sophomore Josh Eachues (Newberry, S.C./Newberry). He moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Todd single to right field.

In the bottom of the eighth, UNCA’s Elliott Arrington doubled and Durham walked to start the inning. Junior Mike Valter (Bloomingdale, N.J./Briarcliffe C.C.) came in and induced a double play, but DeRatt doubled in Durham to make it 7-3. In the bottom of the ninth, Tony Campana led off with a single against Costanzo, but a pop up, a fly out and a strike out clinched a sweep of the Bulldogs.

Senior Jake Hurry (East Moline, Ill./Alleman) went to 9-2, pitching seven innings with seven strikeouts, two earned runs and two walks. The loss went to Brotzman, who gave up nine hits and six runs in seven innings.

Todd, Verrett and Baldridge had two hits apiece for Coastal, while Costanzo and Fuentes drove in two apiece. Kerr had three hits for the Bulldogs, while DeRatt had two safties.

Coastal has now won eight straight games and 13 straight in the Big South.

Coastal turned two more double plays in the game and six in the series. The Chants have a one-game lead over second-place Winthrop heading into the last weekend of the regular season.

Coastal travels to Rock Hill, S.C., to face Winthrop. The three-game series begins Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m.