CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina scored six runs in the fourth inning before the rain began to fall and forced the contest to be called midway through the bottom of the seventh inning with the Chanticleers on top of Ball State 7-2.
The game was called after a one-hour and 54-minute rain delay with the Chanticleers hitting in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In just his second start as a Chant, senior transfer
Michael Knorr (1-0) picked up his second quality start, as the tall righty allowed just two runs on three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over 6.0-complete innings to record the win. The victory was his first as a Chanticleer.
The Chants roughed up Ball State starter Ty Johnson (0-1), as he surrendered six runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over 3.0 innings of work in the loss.
The junior duo of
Cooper Weiss (2-for-3, HR, RBI, 2 runs) and
Eric Brown (2-for-3, 2B, RBI) stayed hot, as Weiss hit his first home run of the season and Brown added an RBI-double.
Outfielder
Austin White (1-for-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBIs, run) added a two-run double, while fellow outfielder
Nick Lucky (1-for-3, 2B, RBI, run) drove in a run as well in the win.
Ball State was held to just two runs on three hits led by Trenton Quartermaine (1-for-3, HR, RBI, run) and his solo home run and an RBI-single by Nick Powell (1-for-3, RBI).
The Chanticleers scored first in the bottom of the second, as Weiss launched his first home run of the year over the left-center field wall to put the home team on top 1-0 after two innings of play.
While Knorr blew through the Ball State lineup, retiring the first 12 batters over the first four innings, the Chants blew the game open in the top of the fourth with a six-run inning.
The scoring started when
Matt McDermott was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to double the lead at 2-0. White followed with a two-run double to the gap in right-center field to extend the Chants' lead to 4-0.
After
Dale Thomas added to the lead with a ground-out RBI, Lucky and Brown picked up back-to-back RBI-doubles, the first down the right-field line and the second down the left-field line, to cap the six-run inning and push the home team's lead to 7-0 heading into the fourth inning.
The Cardinals spoiled the no-hit bid by Knorr with a solo home run in the top of the fifth and then added another run in the top of the sixth on an RBI-single from Powell.
Knorr was able to strand runners on the corners with his sixth strikeout of the game and keep the home team in front 7-2 midway through the sixth inning.
Freshman righty
Darin Horn entered the game in the top of the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, ground out, and pop up as the rain began to steadily fall heading into the seventh-inning stretch.
Coastal sent three hitters to the plate when the umpires cleared the field of the teams and the tarp was pulled onto the field.
Following a one-hour and 54-minute rain delay, the game was officially called.
Coastal (6-1) will play Ball State (2-5) will wrap up the Carolinas Coastline Classic tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET at Springs Brooks Stadium.
For complete coverage of CCU baseball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBaseball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
