MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After seeing the first two days of the 2022 Guardian Credit Union Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship Tournament washed out due to rain and the tournament adjusted to a single-elimination format, the No. 3 seeded Coastal Carolina Chanticleers struggled to get the offense going in a 6-4 loss to No. 6 Troy on Friday morning in Montgomery, Ala.
 
The loss dropped Coastal Carolina to 36-18-1 overall, while the Trojans improved to 32-23 overall and moved on to the semifinals round on Saturday.
 
In what turned into a pitcher's duel, neither starting pitcher factored in the decision despite combining to strike out 18 hitters and walk just three.
 
Despite matching his career-high with 11 strikeouts, senior starter Michael Knorr left the game in the seventh inning after the righty gave up four runs on six hits and just one walk over 6.2 innings pitched.
 
Troy starter Rigsby Mosley struck out a season-high seven batters over 7.1 innings on the mound but left the game in the eighth having allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over 121 pitches.
 
The loss fell to CCU graduate student Reece Maniscalco (2-2), as the right-handed hurler gave up two runs in the ninth, allowing two runs on two hits, a walk, and two strikeouts over 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.
 
Earning the win was Troy reliever Grayson Stewart (5-5), as the freshman gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out two over 0.2 innings of work before handing the ball over to Marquez Oates (7) for a scoreless ninth inning to pick up the save.
 
The Coastal offense was led by two-hit games from both Austin White (2-for-3, 2B, BB, run) and Kameron Guangorena (2-for-4), while both Nick Lucky (1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs) and Tyler Johnson (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run) had two RBIs apiece in the loss.
 
All six of Troy's runs came with two outs, as the Trojans were led by lead-off hitter Jesse Hall (3-for-5, 2 RBIs) with a game-high three hits, while Clay Stearns (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run) had a two-run home run in the win.
 
The Trojans dink and ducked the Chants all game long, hitting .438 (7-for-16) with two outs and .625 (5-for-8) with runners in scoring position. On the other side, Coastal hit .273 (3-for-11) with two outs and .167 (1-for-6) with runners in scoring position.
 
The Chants got off to a great start on Friday, as Knorr sent the Trojans down in order in the top of the first inning and then took advantage of a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left-center field by Johnson in the bottom half of the inning to put the home team on top 2-0 after one inning of play.
 
However, the Trojans quickly got back into the game in the top of the second inning, as Stearns hit a two-run shot to left-center field, just four feet from where Johnson's landed an inning earlier, to tie the game up at 2-2 midway through the second frame.
 
After Coastal stranded two runners in the bottom of the second inning, the two starting pitchers took over the game, as Knorr pitched around a one-out single in the third and then fired back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, including striking out the side on just 10 pitches in the top of the fifth.
 
On the other side, Troy's Mosley kept the Chanticleers' offense at bay, sending the Men in Teal down in order in both the third and fourth frames before pitching around a two-out walk and wild pitch in the fifth to keep the tied at 2-2.
 
Troy threatened in the top of the sixth with a one-out single and moved the go-ahead run up to second base before Knorr punched out his 11th Trojan hitter of the game to strand the runner and keep the game tied at 2-2.
 
Following a 1-2-3 inning by Troy and Mosley in the bottom of the sixth, Knorr returned to the mound in the top of the seventh where a lead-off walk would come around to score on back-to-back two-out base hits to put the Trojans in front for the first time of the game at 3-2.
 
After a Coastal pitching change, the Trojans doubled the lead to 4-2 on an infield single off the bat of lead-off hitter Hall before a ground out to first base got the Chants out of the inning with no more damage done.
 
Coastal put two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth inning and drove Mosley out of the contest after his 121st pitch of the game, yet saw the next Chanticleer hitter go down on strikes before a walk loaded the bases to put the go-ahead run on base with two outs.
 
Lucky, who had struck out three times in the game, came up with a clutch double off the right-field wall to drive in two runs and tie the game up at 4-4 and send the game to the ninth inning knotted up.
 
Troy would retake the lead in the top of the ninth inning on a walk, fielder's choice, and back-to-back two-out singles with Hall delivering the RBI-base hit to push the visitors back in front by one at 5-4.
 
The Trojans tacked on another run with another two-out RBI-base hit to push the lead to two at 6-4 with three outs remaining for the Chants.
 
With three outs left, the Chants picked up one hit in the bottom of the ninth inning and were able to bring the tying run to the plate before a 6-4-3 double-play ended the game.
 
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