Anthony Meo Throws No-Hitter at Big South Tourney; #24 Coastal Carolina Beats Radford, 5-0
Final Stats
LEXINGTON, Va. - Anthony Meo retired the first 16 batters he faced and would go on to throw his first ever no-hitter, leading top-seed and 24th-ranked Coastal Carolina (38-18) to a 5-0 win over sixth-seeded Radford (31-24) in CCU's opening round of the 2011 Royal Purple Big South Baseball Championship Wednesday afternoon at VMI's Gray-Minor Stadium.
Meo (Cranston, R.I.) struck out nine and walked one Wednesday, while two Highlanders reached on errors. It was the first no-hitter thrown at the Big South Tournament and Coastal's first no-hitter since Cody Wheeler beat Hawai'i on the road on Mar. 26, 2009.
In addition, Meo has yet to allow a run when pitching against Radford this season. Coastal shutout the Highlanders in the three-game weekend series May 7-8 as the Chants set CCU and Big South records with four straight shutouts. In his first meeting with Radford, Meo was named Big South Pitcher of the Week as he threw eight scoreless, allowing just three hits and striking out a career-high 12 in an 8-0 win.
"I had a no hitter going in high school and gave up a hit with one out to go," Meo said. "Today, the defense made good plays on some well-hit balls. This was exciting and, to do it in a tournament makes it more special. I really settled in through the middle innings and got in a great groove. I had good command today and my slider was really sharp. I had success earlier in the season so I felt confident. There were some intense moments, I knew I had to make a specific pitch and I was able to do that today when needed. Most importantly, I am glad I was able to help our team get a win and keep our bullpen fresh."
Meo struck out the first batter of the game and retired the first 15 in a row. With one out in the sixth, Blake Sipe broke up the string, reaching on an error on a ground ball to first base. He responded with back-to-back strike outs to get out of the inning. With two outs in the seventh, Matt Mack drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Again, Meo responded with a strike out to end the seventh and then struck out the first batter in the eighth.
In the ninth, Zach Costello lined a 1-0 pitch, which Hayes Orton caught. Matt Hillsinger followed with a high fly ball down the left field line, but miscommunication led to the ball being dropped and Hillsinger found himself on second. Meo would strike out Brett Mollenhauer and Alex Guerra hit the ball well to center only to have Scott Woodward make the catch and end the game.
"This was one for the record books for sure," said head coach Gary Gilmore. "Anthony and (coach) Drew (Thomas) had a great plan and Anthony really executed it. He was in total command. To see Anthony pitch like that with as many scouts that were here today and this close to the draft was really awesome. Anthony has tinkered here and there a lot this year, but found a way today to put it all together.
"When our top three do not hit, we will struggle. Especially with the way we have played this year in tight situations, it was nice to see some other guys produce and win without those top three guys."
Coastal broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tripp Martin drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Rich Witten was hit by a pitch and beat out a play at second on Tommy La Stella's fielder's choice to load the bases. (Note: Tommy La Stella has his career-long hit streak snapped at 15 games, going 0-for-3 today.) Brad Wimmer came out of the Radford bullpen to face Daniel Bowman, who hit the first pitch he saw to left field for a two-run single.
The Chants padded their lead in the bottom of the seventh. Orton was hit by a pitch to start the home half and, with one out, Tucker Frawley singled to right field. Martin then cleared the bases with a three-run home run. The blast, which rattled off the top of the lights in left field, was Martin's second of the year and first since hitting a walk-off in game four of the season, a 6-5 win over Virginia Tech.
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Coastal Rewind
March 31, 2020: 2014 Big South Volleyball Championship
April 3, 2020: 2013 FCS Football Playoff Win at Montana
April 7, 2020: Coastal Football Beats Kansas for First-Ever Power 5 Win
April 10, 2020: Women's Basketball Defeats Troy in Shootout for First-Place
April 14, 2020: 2014 Big South Men's Basketball Championship Game
April 17, 2020: 2003 Men's Soccer Season
April 21, 2020: Women's Lacrosse Wins 2015 Big South Tournament Game Over Campbell
April 24, 2020: Coastal Baseball Walks-Off Clemson to Give Gilmore His 900th Win
April 28, 2020: Coastal Softball Advances to 2019 Sun Belt Championship Game
May 1, 2020: Women's Soccer Defeats Texas State to Advance in 2017 Sun Belt Championship
May 5, 2020: Volleyball Wins 2017 Sun Belt Championship
May 8, 2020: Football Comes-From-Behind to Beat Liberty in Double-Overtime (2013)
May 12, 2020: Women's Golf Wins the 2018 Sun Belt Championship
May 15, 2020: Men's Tennis Wins 2016 Big South Championship
May 19, 2020: Men's Soccer Defeats NC State in 2019 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship
May 22, 2020: Men's Golf Wins the 2018 Sun Belt Championship
May 26, 2020: Women's Soccer Upends High Point in OT (2014)
May 29, 2020: Coastal Football Opens FBS Era with Victory Over UMass
June 2, 2020: Lacrosse Comes-From-Behind to Beat Liberty in 2016 Big South Championships
June 5, 2020: Volleyball Downs App State; Hardeman Climbs CCU Career Kills List
June 12, 2020: Football Downs #12 Bethune-Cookman, 48-24, in NCAA FCS 1st Round
June 16, 2020: Chanticleers Rout Liberty in Record-Setting Win in 2014-15
