CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina softball team fell to 12-5 on the season with  a 9-5 loss to the USC Upstate Spartans on Sunday at St. John Stadium in the final game of the Courtyard Marriott Barefoot Landing Invitational.

Sarah Price got Upstate on the scoreboard first to give her team a 1-0 lead with a top of the third inning home run off Chanticleer starter Raelee Brabham.

CCU would tie the score, 1-1, in the home half of the third inning as Taylor Sweigart came all the way around to score from second base on a high bouncing infield single from junior Stavi Augur.

The Spartans took a 6-1 lead in the fifth as Alyssa Oakes led off the inning with a homer off of Brabham. The Chant starter would be pulled from the game after she allowed the next three batters to reach safely, including a Savannah Grigsby's RBI into the left field. 

With the bases loaded, CCU went to junior Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, but Upstate's Tiffany Dominque greeted the Chant righty with a single through the right side of the infield, scoring two more Spartans.

Upstate would add three more in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 9-1, but Abbey Montoya, took it upon herself not to let the game end after five innings of play. In the bottom of the fifth, the sophomore shortstop would cut the lead to eight runs with a fourth of the season off long ball off Spartan starter Erin Hill.

In the bottom of the sixth, with one and out and the bases loaded, CCU threatened to have a big inning, but USCU's reliever Mallie Brown uncorked a wild pitch, but only two of the three Chanticleer runners were able to advance. The errant ball bounced perfectly off the backstop to the catcher Alyssa Oakes to nail the lead-runner Paige Rivas from scoring at home plate.

Coastal would be limited to a run in the sixth on Makiya Thomas' infield RBI single,  scoring Courtney Dean from third base.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Dean ripped a double into the left gap, scoring Mackenzie Beyer and Augur, cutting the lead to 9-5, but Celina Sullivan held the lead for final Upstate to get Ally Clegg to strikeout.

The Chanticleers outhit their opponent by the tune of a 14-8 margin.

Dean led the Chants on the day, going 3-for-4, a double, and two RBI.

Erin Hill earned the win for the USC Upstate, improving to 5-2, while Brabham has now dropped her second start in a row, falling to 6-2 on the season. The Moncks, S.C., native allowed six runs and four earned runs in 3.1 innings.

The Chant softball team will return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 5 as they travel to Winthrop. First pitch is scheduled for 4 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.