CONWAY – The Coastal Carolina softball team earned its third-straight win over the Lipscomb Bisons on Sunday afternoon at St. John Stadium and improved to 5-5 overall on the season. As a team, the Chanticleers tallied a season-high 11 hits in the win.
 
Coastal Carolina starter Kaitlin Beasley-Polko cruised during the late stages of Sunday's four-game series finale with the Bisons' as the senior retired seven straight batters and nine of the last 11 batters in the game. The Leonardtown, Md., native pitched her team-leading fourth complete game and earned her third win of the season while lowering season earned run average from 3.91 to 3.34.
 
The Lipscomb batting order produced two early runs to start the game versus Beasley-Polko, but that's all the Coastal starter would allow.
 
In the first, Bisons' leadoff hitter, Amy Vetulla, led off the game with an infield hit to shortstop Mary Sobataka. Vetula would move over to second base with a stolen base and then make it a 1-0 Lipscomb lead on a fielding error by third baseman Ally Clegg.
 
LU scored their second run of the game and extended their lead at 2-0 in the top of the third inning after Vetulla reached base in as many at-bats, this time with a leadoff walk.  The speedy lefty would come around to score after consecutive infield hits from Caitlin Ward and Kamrie Rich.
 
The Chanticleers tied and broke open the game in the fifth inning as they scored five runs off of Bisons' starter Breana Burke. Burke allowed three straight hits from the CCU sixth, seventh, and eighth hitters before recording her first out in the inning.
 
Seniors Stavi Augur and Taylor Sweigart started the Chanticleers rally in the home half of the fifth with back-to-back singles, and both CCU players tied the score at 2-2 on Mackenzie Beyer's third double of the season and sixth and seventh RBI of the season.
 
Coastal added three more runs against the Bisons' right-hander, Burke, as sophomore  Iyanla De Jesus came off the bench with a pinch-hit, RBI single. Graduate student Kayla Rosado followed with her second home run of the year to extend the teal and bronze's lead to 5-2 after four innings of play.
 
Coastal Carolina tacked on two insurance runs against Lipscomb reliever Maddie Seimer in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the game away, 7-2, for the victory.
 
In the bottom of the fifth inning Augur and Sweigart fueled CCU's rally with back-to-back walks. After Siemer retired consecutive Chant batters, senior Makiya Thomas knocked home both runners with her team-leading fifth double of the season.
 
Augur, Thomas, and Rosado led the Chants with two RBI apiece in the game, while Augur and Thomas tied a game-high for both teams with two hits in the victory.
 
For Lipscomb, Burke took the loss as she lasted four innings and allowed five runs, five earned on nine hits.

Vetulla reached base in all four of her plate appearance on the day as she went 4-for-4 at the plate with two stolen bases and two walks.
 
The Chanticleers travel to Boca Raton, Fla., for the Florida Atlantic Tournament next weekend, March 5-7, where they take on the host  FAU, Florida International, Illinois State, and Kentucky in the 3-day tournament.

For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSoftball (twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers(Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.