CONWAY, S.C. – On Friday during the Courtyard Marriott Barefoot Landing Invitational, the Coastal Carolina softball team improved their season record to 11-3 as they won their 10th consecutive game with two wins over Monmouth and Ohio University.
Monmouth
In a thrilling game between the Hawks and the Chanticleers, CCU would earn the 5-4 come-from-behind victory.
Both teams traded runs in the first inning, but the Hawks took a 3-1 lead in the second on a Morgan Maziarz two-run home run off Chanticleer starter Raelee Brabham.
The game turned around for the Chanticleers in the fourth inning, as they were able to get runners on first and second base with one out. Abbey Montoya was able to take advantage of the situation as she ripped the 0-1 pitch down the left-field line off Hawk starter, Alyssa Irons, scoring junior Courtney Dean from second base. Coastal tied the game, 3-3, with two outs as junior Ally Clegg grounded to Riley Reindeau, but the Monmouth third baseman misplayed the ball, allowing sophomore Sydney Guess to score.
Monmouth took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth on Erika Coreth's RBI double.
Again, the Chanticleers fought their way back as junior Makiya Thomas sprayed the ball into left field for a one-out single. The next batter, junior Stavi Augur, hit her third home run of the season, well past the left-field wall, giving the Chants a 5-4 lead.
Senior Ally Marcano was called upon in the top of the seventh after Sam Tomasetti's second hit of the day chased Brabham from the game. Marcano would not relinquish the lead her team fought hard to retake. The Middletown, N.Y., native would go on to strikeout her first batter, Lindsey Baron. The next batter, Kayla Rosado would single into right field, putting runners on first and third with one out, but Marcano ended the Hawks' threat with two consecutive punch-outs to end the game.
Brabham worked six innings for her sixth win of the season, allowing four runs, two earned with seven strikeouts.
Marcano earned her second save of the season by working an inning with three strikeouts.
Augur went 2-for-3 in the 5-4 win with a home run and two RBI.
Ohio
The Chanticleers took care of business in game two as they were able to down the Ohio Bobcats by the score of 8-3.
In the second inning, freshman Iyanla DeJesus gave CCU a 1-0 lead with her first-career RBI on a ground out to second base, scoring senior Kassidy Smith.
Ohio took a short-lived, 2-1 lead in the top of the third on Carol Spacek's two-run single, scoring her teammates, Alexis Dawe and Molly Troutman.
Two home runs from Montoya and Mackenzie Beyer all but sealed the game for Coastal in the third inning.
Beyer led off the third with her second home run of the season, tying the game at two runs apiece. The next batter, Makiya Thomas reached base in as many at-bats resulting from Ohio errors before Montoya blasted her third home run of the season, giving the Chants a 4-2 lead.
Coastal Carolina would tack on four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning from Taylor Sweigart's two-run home run, her third of the season, an RBI double from Thomas, and the Bobcat's fourth error of the game.
Kaitlin Beasley-Polko improved to 4-3 on the season with a complete game, 8-3 victory. The junior allowed seven hits, three runs on a season-high nine strikeouts.
The Chanticleers will return to action on Saturday with a pair of games. CCU will take on Ohio at 11:45 a.m. and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at 2:00 p.m.
For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSB (twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
