CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina true freshman pitcher Liam Doyle recorded his first career quality start, while super senior outfielder Nick Lucky picked up his 200th career hit as a Chanticleer as the No. 8 nationally-ranked Chanticleers defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 9-3 on Friday night in Springs Brooks Stadium.
 
Coastal extended its winning streak to five-straight games and will be looking to pick up its 16th consecutive Sun Belt Conference series win with the doubleheader tomorrow.
 
Earning his second win of the season was Doyle (2-0), as the left-handed hurler had a career day. The first-year Chant held Marshall to two runs on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts over a career-high 7.0-complete innings.
 
After giving up a two-run home run in the fourth inning, Doyle sent the next 12 batters down in order before handing the ball over to the bullpen, where Darin Horn and John Kelly fired one inning apiece.
 
Taking the loss for the Herd was starter Patrick Copen (2-9), as the hard-throwing right-hander threw 130 pitches for the game. He gave up five runs, four of which were earned, on nine hits, four walks, one hit batter, and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings on the mound.
 
Despite stranding 12 runners on base for the game, the Coastal offense hit .407 (11-for-27) with runners on base and .364 (8-for-22) with runners in scoring position, while the Herd's offense was .100 (3-for-30) overall and 0-for-6 (.000) with runners in scoring position on the night at the plate.
 
Lucky (3-for-5, 3 RBIs, run, SB) and Payton Eeles (3-for-4, 2B, HBP, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, 3 SB) led the way with three base hits each, with Lucky recording his 200th career hit in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Designated hitter Derek Bender (4-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, run) extended his hitting streak to eight consecutive games and now has 75 RBIs on the season.
 
For only the ninth time this season, Coastal did not hit a home run in the game.
 
Three different players had one hit each for the Thundering Herd, highlighted by a two-run home run from Kyle Schaefer (1-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run) and an RBI double by Owen Ayers (1-for-4, 2B, RBI).
 
Coastal jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with the help of a Marshall fielding error, as Lucky lined a single off the back foot of the Marshall pitcher and raced down the first base line to beat the throw and score Caden Bodine from third base.
 
After stranding the bases loaded in both the first and third innings and falling behind 2-1 by way of a Schaefer home run in the top of the fourth, the Chants' offense woke up in the bottom half of the inning, plating two runs on a pair of RBI doubles from Graham Brown and Bender to retake the lead at 3-1 heading into the fifth inning.
 
While Doyle mowed through the Herd lineup in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, the Chants continued to score in two's, posting two runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.
 
CCU scored two runs in the sixth on a Bodine RBI double and a two-out RBI single from Lucky to push the lead to 5-2.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Men in Teal scored two runs on a two-out, two-run double by Eeles to add to the lead at 7-2.
 
Following a Marshall RBI double from Ayers in the top of the eighth, Lucky struck again with his third RBI single of the game, followed by an infield RBI base hit from Jake Books in the bottom half of the inning to take a 9-3 lead into the ninth inning.
 
Kelly pitched around a walk and a hit batter in the top of the ninth inning by striking out two Marshall hitters and getting the third out on a ground ball back to the pitcher to give the home team the 9-3 series-opening win.
 
The Chants (35-17, 21-7 Sun Belt) and the Marshall Thundering Herd (16-35, 5-23 Sun Belt) will play a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first game set to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Prior to the start of game one, Coastal will hold its Senior Day recognition at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET.

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