CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers scored first and last in Sunday's contest versus Georgia State, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers edged the Chants 5-4 in the Sun Belt Conference series weekend finale at Springs Brooks Stadium.
The loss marks the first time the Chanticleers have been swept by the Georgia State Panthers and dropped CCU to 16-13-1 overall and 5-6-1 in Sun Belt play. With the win, the Panthers moved to 22-10 overall and 10-2 in league play, and also extended their winning streak to nine consecutive games.
The two teams both had nine hits each and left seven runners on base, however, the Panthers were able to push one more run across than CCU in the 5-4 contest.
Junior shortstop
Eric Brown (3-for-5, 2 2B, run) had a pair of doubles to lead both teams in base hits with three, while
Nick Lucky (1-for-3, HR, BB, RBI, run),
Dale Thomas (0-for-3, BB, RBI),
Tyler Johnson (2-for-4, RBI), and
Matt McDermott (1-for-4, RBI, SB) all had one RBI in the defeat.
Georgia State had three players with two hits apiece in Griffin Cheney (2-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, run, SB), Luke Boynton (2-for-3, BB, run), and Max Ryerson (2-for-4), while Josh Smith (1-for-3, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, run) added a three-run home run in the win.
Coastal starting pitcher
Nick Parker (1-2) gave up four runs on four hits, three walks, and matched his career-high strikeouts total with eight punch-outs over 5.0 innings pitched in the loss, while the bullpen allowed just one run on five hits, one walk, and three strikeouts over the final 4.0 innings.
GSU reliever Dawson Sweatt (1-0) earned the win out of the bullpen, as he entered the game in the first inning and pitched 3.0-scoreless frames, allowing two hits and striking out two CCU hitters. Picking up the save for the second time on the weekend was Ryan Watson (7), as he allowed one run on two hits and one strikeout in the ninth inning.
Looking to avoid the series sweep, the Chanticleers scored first in the bottom of the first inning, as lead-off hitter
Austin White singled to center field to start the frame. He would then move up 90-feet on a called-balk on the GSU pitcher before a dropped pop-up in the middle of the infield allowed Brown to reach base and put two runners on with no outs.
Back-to-back ground outs pushed both runners up two bases with White scoring on the second out to put the home team up 1-0 before Johnson lined a two-out single through the left side to plate Brown and put the home team on top 2-0 after one inning of play.
The Panthers quickly answered back in the top half of the second inning on a Smith three-run home run to left field to take their first lead of the game at 3-2 midway through the second inning.
Georgia State would double up the Chants on a Cheney solo home run to start the top of the sixth inning, only to see Coastal get the run back on a Lucky solo shot into the Panthers' bullpen behind the right-field fence in the bottom half of the sixth to cut the Panthers' lead back to one at 4-3 with three innings to play.
However, the Chanticleers could not get a shutdown inning, as the Panthers' Cheney delivered a two-out RBI-single up the middle to score another run in the top of the seventh to put the score at 5-3 at the seventh-inning stretch.
Down to their last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, pinch-hitter
Kameron Guangorena ripped a one-out line drive that skipped past the Panthers' second baseman and into right field. On the play, the right fielder overran the ball and slipped on the grass to allow Guangorena to race all the way around to third base.
McDermott then laced the first pitch he saw into the left-center field gap to plate Guangorena and cut the lead back to one at 5-4.
With the tying run on first, McDermott stole second and then advanced to third on a ground out to second base. Brown just missed sending the Chants home with a win, as he hit a deep fly ball to left-center field which was hauled in near the warning track by the Panthers' center fielder to end the game.
Coastal will hit the road to take on Appalachian State (10-19, 3-9 SBC) for a three-game conference series on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 14-16, in Boone, N.C.
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.
