CONWAY, S.C. – Zack Beach blasted a three-run home run to lead the No. 20 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to a 9-2 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs at Springs Brooks Stadium on Friday night. With the win, the Chants improved to 21-8 overall and 6-4 in Sun Belt Conference play, while the Monarchs dropped to 15-14 on the year and 4-6 in league action.
 
Coastal used an eight-run fifth inning to take command of what started as a pitcher's duel between CCU's Riley Eikhoff (3-0, 6.0IP, 3H, R, BB, 4Ks) and ODU's Jay Cassady (2.2IP, 0H, 0R, 4Ks). After a Sam Antonacci (2-for-3, 2B, R, 2RBIs) one-out single up the middle, the Chants loaded the bases on back-to-back walks to Derek Bender and Blake Barthol. Antonacci crossed the plate on Caden Bodine's sacrifice fly, which was followed by Beach's three-run bomb to right field. The bomb by Beach (3-for-5, HR, R, 3RBIs) moved him into sixth place on Coastal's career home run list, passing former Chanticleer Seth Lancaster.
 
CCU's Graham Brown continued the Chanticleers inning with a single to left and advanced to second on Jake Books walk. Dean Mihos singled to left field to score Brown from second and put Books into scoring position at second. Ty Dooley followed with a single to right to score Books and advance Mihos to third. Antonacci recorded his second hit of the inning, a double off the center field batters' eye to plate Dooley and Mihos for the 8-0 lead.
 
However, the Monarchs would not give up as Carter Sunderman (1-for-2, R) singled to third to lead off the sixth inning. Luke Waters (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) sliced a one-out double to left field that scored Sunderman from first to trail 8-1 before Eikhoff recorded the final two outs.
 
The Chants answered in the home half of the frame after Bodine (1-for-3, R, RBI) was hit by a pitch and moved to second on Beach's third hit of the night. Brown walked to load the bases before Books grounded out to first to score Bodine from third to lead 9-1.
 
In the top of the seventh, ODU's Alex Bouche led off with a walk by reliever Hayden Johnson before moving to second as Hunter Cole was hit by a pitch. After a line drive to third, Maverick Stallings hit a pinch-hit single to center to give the Monarchs their final run of the game.
 
Coastal's Dominick Carbone took the mound in the top of the eighth and worked around a lead-off hit batter before settling in and getting two strikeouts to help close out the frame. Carbone finished off the game in the ninth with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
 
ODU's John Holobetz (2-4) threw 2.0 innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits, and three walks while striking out one batter to take the loss.
 
Coastal Carolina will return to action in Conway, S.C., for game two of the series on Saturday, April 6, against ODU. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
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