SAN MARCOS, TEXAS – The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers scored three runs in the first inning and five runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-1 lead, yet saw the No. 9 nationally-ranked Texas State Bobcats score the next 12 runs of the contest to defeat the Chanticleers 13-9 in Sunday's rubber match at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas.
 
The loss dropped CCU to 13-9-1 overall and 2-3-1 in conference play, while with the win, the Bobcats moved to 20-5 overall and atop of the Sun Belt standings at 5-1 in league action.
 
Neither starter went past three innings, nor factored in the decision as it became a bullpen game early. CCU starter Michael Knorr, who is coming back from missing a few weeks due to an injury, allowed just one run on three hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts in 3.0-complete innings, while Texas State's Tony Robie gave up four runs on five hits and two strikeouts over 3.0-plus innings pitched.
 
The difference was in the bullpens, as CCU's bullpen was hit up for 12 runs on eight hits, seven walks, and five strikeouts over 5.0 innings of work. Texas State's bullpen surrendered five runs, three of which were earned, on eight hits, three walks, and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Designated hitter Tyler Johnson (4-for-4, 2 HRs, BB, 4 RBIs, 2 runs) led the offense with a game-high four hits, including a pair of home runs, marking the second time in less than a week that he hit two home runs in the same game, doing it first on Tuesday, March 22, at No. 20 Clemson.
 
CCU's Dale Thomas (2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 runs) and Nick Lucky (2-for-5, RBI, run) each had two base hits and drove in an RBI, with Thomas hitting his team-leading eighth home run of the season. Fellow starter Matt McDermott (1-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) had a double and an RBI, while catcher Tanner Garrison (2-for-4, run) added two hits of his own in the loss.
 
Texas State had eight different Bobcats register a hit in the come-from-behind win led by Justin Thompson (2-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs, run), John Wuthrich (1-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, 2 runs), and Peyton Lewis (1-for-1, 2B, BB, 3 RBIs) who all had three RBIs.
 
With one swing of the bat, the Chanticleers pounced on the Bobcats in the top of the first inning, as Johnson followed back-to-back singles from Lucky and Thomas with a monster home run over the 405-foot wall in center field to put the visitors in front at 3-0.
 
After Knorr pitched around a walk in the first inning and a pair of base hits in the second frame by striking out the side in each of the first two innings, the Bobcats took advantage of the wind blowing out to right field on a solo home run from shortstop Dalton Shuffield in the bottom of the third to cut the Coastal lead to two at 3-1.
 
The Chants would blow the game open in the top of the fourth, as Johnson blasted his second home run of the game to right-center field to start the big inning. Three batters later, McDermott laced an RBI-double just inside the left-field line, which was followed by an Austin White sacrifice fly to right field.
 
The inning was kept alive by an error by the Texas State first baseman, which allowed another runner to score before Lucky hit a single to right field to plate another run and push the visitor's lead to seven at 8-1.
 
Refusing to go away, the Bobcats cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Thompson hit a three-run home run over the batter's eye in straightaway center field to trim the Chants' lead to four at 8-4 with four innings to play.
 
The scoring continued for the home-standing Bobcats in the next inning, as Cameron Gibbons had an RBI-double down the right-field line which was followed by a single off the end of the bat from Ben McClain to score two more runs and close the gap to 8-7.
 
The inning continued with a single from Shuffield before Wuthrich belted a three-run home run into the net over the top of the left-field wall to put the home team on top 10-8 through six innings of play.
 
The Chants' offense stranded two runners in the fifth inning and one runner each in both the sixth and seventh innings, yet couldn't find the offense that it had over the first four innings of the contest until a solo home run by Thomas in the top of the ninth.
 
Texas State capped the win with a bases-loaded, two-out, bases-clearing double off the wall in right-center field by Lewis to give the Bobcats 13 runs in the series-clinching win.
 
Both teams left seven runners on base for the game.
 
Coastal will continue its eight-game road trip at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Wednesday, March 30. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. ET.

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