NORFOLK, Va. – Junior pitcher
Teddy Sharkey struck out a career-high eight hitters over the final 3.2 innings, while sophomore
Ty Dooley and senior
Graham Brown each belted a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning to propel the No. 17 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to a 4-2 extra-inning win over Old Dominion on Sunday afternoon in Norfolk, Va.
Coastal improved to 2-0 on the season in extra-inning contests with the 10-inning win.
The win pushed Coastal to 23-11 overall and 11-4 in Sun Belt Conference play, putting the Chants atop of the conference regular-season standings. The loss dropped Old Dominion to 24-11 overall and 9-6 in league play.
With the series win, the Chanticleers have not lost a series all season long and have won 11 consecutive Sun Belt Conference series dating back to last season.
The Chants, who hit two home runs in the game, moved to 17-3 on the season when hitting two or more home runs in a contest.
Sharkey (4-0) was lights out for the Chants out of the bullpen and capped a great day for the entire pitching staff. The flame-throwing reliever threw a career-high 3.2 innings, allowing just one hit, walking four, and striking out a career-high eight hitters to record the win.
The rest of the bullpen in
Davis Tyndall (0.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 HBP),
Riley Eikhoff (1.2 IP, 5 K), and
Bryce Shaffer (0.1 IP, 1 hit) did not allow a run over 2.1 innings of work combined, while starter
Jack Billings (4.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) struck out a career-high eight hitters himself over 4.0-complete innings on the mound.
Overall, the Chants' pitching staff struck out 21 Monarch hitters, the most in a single game for the Chanticleers since 1999.
ODU's bullpen was up for the challenge as well on Sunday, as the Monarchs' pitching staff held Coastal to just two runs on only four hits until the two home runs in the 10th inning.
The loss fell to Robert Cook (2-2), as the righty gave up the two runs on two hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings of work out of the bullpen.
Dooley (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run) and Brown (1-for-4, HR, BB, RBI, run, SB) provided the late-game heroics with their solo home runs, while fellow Chants
Nick Lucky (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 SB) and
Caden Bodine (1-for-2, 2 BB) combined for three of the six base hits in the win.
ODU's offense scored just two runs on six hits, highlighted by home runs from Thomas Wheeler (1-for-3, HR, 2 BB, RBI, run) and Chris Dengler (2-for-2, HR, BB, SAC, RBI, run).
With the top-two offenses in the Sun Belt Conference looking to help seal the series win for their respective teams, the Monarchs took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a solo home run from Thomas Wheeler.
Coastal quickly answered in the next half inning, as Lucky led off the top of the second inning with a single and then stole second. Three hitters later, Dooley hit a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to plate Lucky and tie the game up at 1-1 midway through the second inning.
After Billings threw a 1-2-3 shutdown inning in the bottom of the second, the Monarchs went back to the long ball in the bottom of the third frame as Dengler hit a solo home run to center field to put the home team back in front at 2-1.
Again, the Chants answered in their next at-bat, as Lucky again led off the inning with a single. Following a strikeout, a balk, a stolen base, and a walk, the Chants had runners on the corners with one out.
The ODU pitcher looked to have the second out of the inning on a pickoff to first base, but
Chad Born was able to get himself into a rundown and stay alive long enough to allow Lucky to race in from third base to tie the game up once more at 2-2.
Double plays in both the fifth and sixth innings halted the Chants' chances to take the lead, while the CCU pitching staff kept the Monarchs' offense at bay and stranded three base runners heading into the seventh inning.
Old Dominion threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning, as a one-out bunt single, a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt, and a walk put two runners on base with one out.
However, the Chanticleers got out of the jam with a double play, as Sharkey struck out the hitter, and catcher
Tanner Garrison threw out the would-be base stealer at second base to end the inning with the score still tied at 2-2.
The Men in Teal stranded two runners on base in the ninth, while ODU left two runners on base in the eighth and one more in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th inning, Dooley sent the first pitch he saw from Cook over the center field wall for the go-ahead solo home run to put the Chants up 3-2.
Three batters later, following a strikeout and ground out, Brown blasted a 3-2 pitch deep to left field and over the wall to extend the lead to 4-2 with just three outs to play.
Sharkey pitched around a lead-off walk in the bottom of the 10th inning and capped the extra-inning win with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Coastal (23-11, 11-4 Sun Belt) will step out of conference play to host the College of Charleston (22-13, 12-6 CAA) on Tuesday, April 18, at 6 p.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.
