Box Score Baseball Falls to VMI 8-2

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     The Coastal Carolina University baseball team (20-24, 7-9 Big South) had only three hits and committed four errors in an 8-2 loss to the Virginia Military Institute May 6 in Lexington, Va.   Freshman David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Graham) reached on an error with one out in the top of the second.  He would move to second on a wild pitch and score on a single by senior Mike Fuentes (Miami, Fla./North Florida C.C.).  A single by sophomore Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) put runners on the corners, but VMI’s Trey Barham got out of the jam as freshman Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) grounded into a double play.   VMI answered with two runs in the bottom of the second.  Jacoby Fields opened the inning with a single to right.  He moved to second on a bunt single by Chad Rice.  The Keydets loaded the bases as a sacrifice attempt by Shane Geisslinger was not handled by freshman Austin Fleet (Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe).  VMI then scored a pair of runs as B.T. Good’s grounder was mishandled by Bortnick.   Coastal tied the game at two in the third.  With one out, junior Adam Vrable (Bay City, Mich./Grand Rapids C.C.) was hit by a pitch.  He reached third on a failed pickoff attempt by Barham and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior DJ Burns (Lynn, Mass./Chandler Gilbert J.C.).   In the bottom of the third, VMI was poised to put up another run as A.J. Yoder’s single looked to easily score Rice, but junior Matt Sutton (La Grange, N.C./UNC Wilmington) made a perfect throw to erase Yoder.   In the bottom of the fourth, Geisslinger reached on an error by Martin to open the inning.  He went to second on a bunt single from Good.  Both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt from Reed.  Despite a great play by Bortnick on a grounder by Robert Crumpler, the Chants could get only one out, which scored Geisslinger and gave the Keydets a 3-2 lead.   The Chants ran into trouble in the fifth.  After senior Kevin Salmon (Brentwood, N.Y./Briarcliffe C.C.) got Fields to ground out, he walked the bases loaded.  Freshman David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) came in and Good doubled down the left field line, scoring a pair.  After a groundout by Reed, Anderson intentionally walked Sweppenhiser to load the bases.  Anderson’s first pitch to Crumpler was wild, scoring Geisslinger.  The freshman struck out Michael Roberts to end the threat and keep it at 6-2.   VMI added a run in the seventh as Reed singled in Geisslinger with one out.  In the eighth, Geisslinger reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Fields to make it 8-2 VMI.   Fleet took the loss for the Chanticleers, falling to 4-2 on the season.  He gave up an earned runs and struck out one in four innings.  The win went to Barham, who went the distance.  He struck out nine Chants and had a string of retiring 15 Coastal batters in a row.   Sappelt, Fuentes and Martin had Coastal’s three hits.  Good went 3-for-4 with two runs-batted-in while Geisslinger drove in a pair.   Coastal and VMI will continue its three-game series Sunday, May 7 at 1 p.m.  The time was changed due to a chance of afternoon showers in the Lexington area.