JONESBORO, Ark. – Coastal Carolina scored one run in five different innings with none more important than the run in the top of the ninth, as the Chanticleers held on for a 5-4 road win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday night in Jonesboro, Ark.
 
With the win, the Chants took the series win, their first Sun Belt Conference series win of the season, and moved to 15-10-1 overall and 4-3-1 in league play. Arkansas State fell to 5-19 overall and 0-8 in Sun Belt play with the loss.
 
Coastal starting pitcher Michael Knorr had a strong outing on Saturday night, as the righty struck out 11 of the 19 batters he faced, a new career-high in punch-outs, and allowed just one run on four hits and one walk over 4.2 innings of work on the mound.
 
CCU reliever Riley Eikhoff (2-0) earned the win out of the bullpen, as he surrendered just one run on two hits over 1.0 inning of work. Picking up the save was Elliot Carney (1), as he got the final out of the game with the game-winning run in scoring position.
 
The CCU pitching staff struck 14 A-State hitters and walked just four over the nine-inning contest.
 
A-State starter Will Nash (1-3) was handed the loss despite allowing just three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits, three walks, and six strikeouts over 5.0-complete innings.
 
Despite the offense going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the night, the Chanticleers drew 11 walks, stole five bases, took advantage of one wild pitch, and three passed balls to score five runs in the win.
 
Outfielder Graham Brown (2-for-3, 2B, BB, run, SB) led the way with a team-high two base hits, while juniors Tanner Garrison (1-for-4, BB, RBI, run) and Cooper Weiss (1-for-1, SF, RBI) each drove in an RBI in the victory.
 
For A-State offensively, third baseman Ben Klutts (2-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, run) had a home run and two RBIs, while both second baseman Daedrick Cail (2-for-5, 2B, RBI, run) and outfielder Mickey Coyne (1-for-3, BB, RBI) each had an RBI in the loss.
 
The two teams combined to go just 3-for-23 at the plate with runners in scoring position. Coastal stranded 12 runners, while A-State left nine on base.
 
Just like on Friday night, the Chanticleers got on the scoreboard first, this time in the top of the third inning, as the visitors in teal loaded the bases and saw a wild pitch allow Matt McDermott to scurry in from third to give CCU a 1-0 lead.
 
However, the Red Wolves quickly tied the game up in the bottom half of the third inning, as a lead-off double, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field scored the home team's first run to tie the game up at 1-1 through three innings of play.
 
The Chanticleers again loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning, yet were able to score just one run on an RBI-ground out by Garrison to put the visitors back in front by one at 2-1 midway through the fourth.
 
After CCU's Knorr struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning, the Chanticleers' offense tacked on another run in the top of the fifth on an Eric Brown lead-off single, a stolen base, in which he moved up to third on an errant throw, and then scored four batters later on a passed ball to push the Chants' lead to two at 3-1.
 
Coastal added another insurance run in the sixth by way of a walk, a passed ball, and a wild pitch as the Chants took a 4-1 lead before the Red Wolves' Klutts led off the bottom half of the frame with a solo home run to left field to put the score at 4-2 with three innings to play.
 
Matt Joyce, who got the Chants out of the sixth inning, pitched around a walk in the seventh, while Teddy Sharkey threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning to keep the visitors in front by two at 4-2 heading into the final inning of play.
 
CCU added another insurance run in the top of the ninth on a walk, a balk, a stolen base, and a Weiss sacrifice fly to center field to push the lead to three at 5-2.
 
The run proved to be huge, as after Jacob Maton got the first two outs of the inning in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Wolves got a base hit, walk, and back-to-back RBI-base hits to cut the lead to one at 5-4.
 
Following a walk to load the bases, Carney struck out Jared Toler with the bases loaded to end the game with the Chants on top 5-4.
 
Coastal will look for the series sweep tomorrow with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. ET.
 
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