CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina baseball scored eight runs in the third inning to down Kent State 13-8 on Opening Day at Springs Brooks Stadium as part of the Baseball at the Beach Tournament in Conway, S.C.
The win puts CCU at 1-0 to start the season, while Kent State is 0-1.
Leading the way for the Chants offensively was senior
Tyler Johnson (4-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) with a career-high four base hits, fellow outfielder
Austin White (3-for-4, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBIs, run, 2 SB) reached base safely five times, and junior
Dale Thomas (3-for-5, 2B, 4 RBIs, run) drove in a game-high four RBIs.
For the Golden Flashes at the plate, the middle of the lineup in Aidan Longwell (3-for-3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 runs) and Justin Miknis (3-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 RBIs) combined to go 6-for-7 with three RBIs, while both Kyle Jackson (2-for-4, RBI, run) and Josh Johnson (2-for-3, BB, RBI, run) each had two base hits and drove in an RBI in the loss.
CCU's
Nick Parker got the start, as the senior allowed five runs, only one of which was earned, on eight hits, two walks, and six strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work, but did not factor in the decision.
The Chants used four arms out of the bullpen with the first reliever
Matt Joyce (1-0) picking up the win, as he threw 0.2 innings of work, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk. The fourth CCU hurler out of the bullpen
Jack Billings (1) recorded the save by throwing 2.2-scoreless innings to end the game.
The loss went to Kent State starter Ben Cruikshank (0-1), as the lefty was roughed up for four runs on six hits, four walks, and two strikeouts over just 2.0 innings on the mound.
Kent State took an early 3-0 lead by plating an unearned run in the top of the first and two more unearned runs in the top of the second inning before the home team in white got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second on a White RBI double over the right fielder's head.
After a 1-2-3 inning by Parker in the top of the third, the Chants blew the game open in the bottom half of the inning with an eight-spot to take a 9-3 lead.
Back-to-back walks to
Christopher Rowan, Jr. and
Kameron Guangorena started the big inning for the Chants before back-to-back RBI doubles from Johnson (RBI) and Thomas (2 RBIs) put the home team on top 4-3 in the third.
A balk, a walk, and a throwing error on a
Matt McDermott stolen base allowed Thomas to waltz in from third to add to the CCU lead.
With McDermott on second, White hit a chopper to third base that bounced over the head of the third baseman and plated McDermott to put the Chants in front 5-3.
Following a walk and hit-by-pitch to load the bases, a bases-loaded walk to Rowan, Jr. and sacrifice fly by Guangorena scored two more runs for the home team before Johnson capped the eight-run inning with a two-run RBI single through the right side to put the home team up 9-3.
Coastal added a run in the fifth on a dropped fly ball and another in the sixth on a
Jake Gitter home run to right field, his first as a Chant, to stay in front of the Golden Flashes who scored two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth with the help of a CCU throwing error and two wild pitches.
The Chants took an 11-8 lead into the bottom of the seventh when a Guangorena single and another Johnson double set up a two-run double just inside the left-field line by Thomas that pushed CCU back in front by five at 13-8.
Billings pitched around two hits and a walk to strand three Kent State baserunners in the eighth and threw a clean ninth to seal the win for the Chanticleers.
CCU stranded 14 runners on base compared to the Golden Flashes' 12 and committed four errors in the field to Kent State's two.
Coastal will host No. 16 Central Michigan (0-1) tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on day two of the Baseball at the Beach Tournament.
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