Box Score Baseball Falls to Winthrop 4-2 More Information:
The Coastal Carolina University baseball team (42-12, 19-3 Big South) gave up two runs in the eighth inning that were the difference in the 4-2 loss to Winthrop University (39-17, 19-3 Big South) May 20 in Rock Hill, S.C.
Coastal put up a run in the top of the first. With two outs, junior Mike Costanzo (Springfield, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) doubled to right field and traded places with junior Michael DeJesus (Manapalan, N.J./East Carolina), who doubled to left center.
The Eagles tied the game in the bottom of the second as Kyle Roberson hit his 10th home run of the season to right field. Winthrop took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Heath Rollins and Daniel Carte hit back-to-back doubles, the latter hugging the right field line.
The Chants retied the game in the top of the sixth when Costanzo hit a shot deep into the Rock Hill night in right field. It was his 12th home run of the season.
Winthrop broke open the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth. Roberson led off the inning with a single. Senior Byron Binda (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) then hit Tommy Lentz to put runners on first and second. After a wild pitch, Binda intentionally walked Alan Robbins. Matt Repec hit a grounder to junior Aaron Verrett (Jupiter, Fla./Polk C.C.), but his throw home was wild and Roberson scored. Ben Ehrlich then singled up the middle to score Lentz and make it 4-2 Winthrop. The Eagles sent eight men to the plate in the eighth.
Binda took the loss, giving up one earned run with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Junior Ricky Shefka (Kinston, N.C./Old Dominion) started for Coastal, going 6.2 innings, giving up 11 hits and striking out three. Slowey went the distance for the Eagles, striking out nine and giving up five hits and two runs.
Costanzo was 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Chants, while DeJesus had a run batted in. For Winthrop, Rollins and Lentz had three hits apiece.
The loss ended the 13-game Big South winning streak and the overall eight-game winning streak.
The two teams will play the second game of the series Saturday, May 21 at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on C-SET and will be webcast on www.GoCCUSports.com.
