Box Score Baseball Falls to Presbyterian 7-5 More Information:
CLINTON, S.C. – Jared Combs had six runs-batted-in and Presbyterian (10-30, 5-17 Big South) held off a late rally by the 19
th-ranked Coastal Carolina University baseball team (31-12, 11-5 Big South) to defeat the Chanticleers 7-5 April 25 in Clinton, S.C. Coastal Carolina freshman
Anthony Meo (Cranston, R.I./Cranston West) ran into trouble in the first. He gave up a leadoff single to Andrew Williams, and then walked Mack Hite. Junior
Jose Iglesias (Miami, Fla./St. John’s) picked off Williams at second, but Meo gave up a single to Cory Lyda. Combs then took a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left field, making it 3-0 Blue Hose. Coastal Carolina scored a run in the third as sophomore
Rico Noel (Lawton, Okla./Lawton) doubled, moved to third on a grounder by junior
Adam Rice (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Elgin C.C.) and scored on a sacrifice fly from senior
Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor). Meo would settle down and lock into a pitcher’s duel with Presbyterian’s Jesse Harmon. Meo did run into trouble in the seventh. He retired the first two batters, but walked Caleb Brazell. Williams singled to center field to put runners on the corners. Hite hit a grounder to second base, as Brazell scored on a fielding error by freshman
Steve Davis (Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville), making it 4-1 Presbyterian. Redshirt freshman
Keith Hessler (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) walked Lyda to load the bases and Combs would unload then with a double to left field as PC led 7-1 going into the eighth. Coastal Carolina would load the bases with one out in the eighth as Rice was hit by a pitch and Bortnick and senior
David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) walked. Freshman Daniel Bowman (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) brought in a run with a sacrifice fly and Bortnick would score on a Harmon wild pitch to make it 7-3. In the ninth, redshirt junior
Chance Gilmore (Surfside Beach, S.C./Virginia) opened the inning with a single to left. He then went to second on a wild pitch. Iglesias grounded out on a great play from Williams for the first out. Davis walked to put runners on the corners. Gabe Grammar, who came in to start the ninth, struck out Noel for the second out. Rice and Bortnick then hit back-to-back singles to bring in two more runs and cut the lead to 7-5. Anderson then hit a ball to the wall in right field, but Grammar, who moved back to right field when Andrew Foushee came in to pitch, made the catch to end the game. Harmon earned his third win of the season, pitching eight innings and giving up seven hits, three earned runs and collecting six strikeouts. Meo was tagged with the loss. He struck out five and gave up six hits and three earned runs in 6.2 innings. Foushee earned his first save by retiring Anderson to end the game. Rice, Bortnick and Iglesias had two hits apiece for the Chanticleers, while Combs and Williams had two hits for Presbyterian. Coastal Carolina and Presbyterian wrap up the series Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m.
