CONWAY, S.C. – The Chanticleers used another big inning to double-up the No. 16-nationally ranked Central Michigan Chippewas 8-4 on Saturday night on day two of the Baseball at the Beach event.
The win puts the Chants at 2-0 on the season, while the loss dropped CMU to 0-2 on the year.
After a huge Opening Day last night, the Chants' duo of
Austin White (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 SB) and
Dale Thomas (3-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) combined to go 6-for-9 at the plate, while fellow Chants
Nick Lucky (3-for-4, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBIs, run) and
Cooper Weiss (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs, run) each had multiple RBIs in the win.
For Central Michigan, lead-off hitter Jakob Marsee was 3-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs, while three other Chips had a base hit on the day.
Picking up his first career win was freshman
Matthew Potok (1-0), as the right-handed pitcher threw 2.0-scoreless innings out of the bullpen, walking one, and striking out two.
The tall freshman was one of four relievers that came out of the bullpen for Coastal on the night, as the quartet threw 4.0 innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned run, with
Teddy Sharkey (1) recording his first career save by throwing the final 1.1 innings.
Redshirt senior hurler
Reid VanScoter was effective in the start, as he allowed just two runs on five hits, three walks, and struck out a career-high seven batters over 5.0-complete innings.
CMU starting pitcher Andrew Taylor gave up just one run on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over 4.1 innings but did not factor in the decision as the loss went to lefty reliever Garrett Navarra (0-1) who was hit up for seven runs on nine hits, two walks, and five strikeouts over 3.0 innings.
The home team got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning, as White singled to left field to start the inning, quickly stole second, and then abruptly scored on a Lucky RBI-double down the right-field line to put the Chants up 1-0 after one inning.
Central Michigan swiftly erased the CCU lead in the top of the second on three hits, highlighted by a two-run single by Marsee to put the Chips on top for the first time in the game at 2-1 midway through the second frame.
The two teams combined to strand four base runners over the next four innings until the Chants broke the game open with a five-run inning in the sixth, in which CCU batted around.
Shortstop
Eric Brown led off the inning with a double off the 20-foot batters' eye in straight-away centerfield. After a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout, Thomas doubled down the right-field line to score Brown and tie the game up at 2-2.
Two batters later, Weiss hit a two-out double to left field to push the home team back in front by two at 4-2.
The Chants continued the big inning with a two-run single up the middle from White to cap the scoring with CCU on top 6-2 heading into the seventh inning.
The Chippewas used two hit batters, an RBI-single, and a Coastal throwing error to score two runs, one of which was earned, in the top of the eighth inning to trim the Chants' lead in half at 6-4.
However, Coastal quickly got those two runs back with one swing of the bat, as Lucky blasted a two-run home run deep into the night for his first home run of the season and to double-up the Chips at 8-4 with one inning to play.
Sharkey pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth inning to seal the 8-4 win for the Chants.
The Chants had five extra-base hits to the Chips' one and stranded just eight runners to CMU's 12 on the night.
Coastal will play Kent State (0-2) again on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. ET. CCU defeated the Golden Flashes 13-8 on Opening Day Friday night.
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