CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers split a doubleheader, a 10-9 loss and a 17-7 win in eight innings, with the Georgia State Panthers on Sunday afternoon to clinch the final Sun Belt Conference series 2-1 in Conway, S.C., for the 2024 season.
Coastal (30-21, 13-14 SBC) was led by
Derek Bender (5-for-10, 3HR, 4R, 7RBI),
Sam Antonacci (4-for-8, BB 5R, 2RBI),
Graham Brown (3-for-7, 4BB, 2B, 4R), and
Caden Bodine (4-for-10, 2 2B, HR, 4R, 5RBI) on the day as the Chanticleer offense put up 26 runs in the doubleheader.
The Chants
Alexander Meckley (4-4) took the loss in the first game by giving up two runs on four hits and a walk while recording five strikeouts over 2.1 innings.
Bryce Shaffer worked 4.0 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out five Panthers. In game two, CCU starter
Cameron Flukey worked 5.0 innings, giving up four runs on three hits with two walks and striking out a career-high nine batters.
Hayden Johnson (3-2) picked up his third win on one hit and no runs
The Panthers (24-28, 12-15 SBC) were paced by JoJo Jackson (5-for-8, 2 2B, 2HR, 4R, 3RBI), Will Mize (5-for-9, 2B, HR, 5R, 2RBI), and Michael Maginnis (4-for-8, BB, HR, 2R, 2RBI) and at the plate, while Aidan McEvoy (3-1) got the win in game one, allowing one run on two hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Brady Jones (5-1) picked up his first loss of the season, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks. All five pitchers Georgia State used in game two allowed three runs or more.
GAME 1: COASTAL 9, GA. STATE 10
GSU led off the game with back-to-back doubles by Maximus Martin and Mize to take an early 1-0 lead. After a walk to Maginnis that chased Coastal game one starter
Parker Cassell, the Panthers moved runners into scoring position as second and third with a sac bunt followed by a sacrifice fly by Matt Ruiz to make the score 2-0. Coastal loaded the bases with as Antonacci drew a lead-off walk before advancing to second on a bunt to third by Brown.
Blake Barthol loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch before
Zack Beach got beaned on a 3-2 count to cut the deficit to 2-1.
In the third inning, Georgia State's Mize singled to left with one out before the Panthers doubled their score on a two-run home run to right center by Maginnis to make the score 4-1. CCU's Bender answered with his first home run of the day, a solo blast to right-center with two outs as the Chants trailed by two at 4-2.
The Panthers added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run homer by Colin Hynek to take a 6-2 lead. The Chanticleers' Beach tripled off the top of the batter's eye in center field followed by
Dean Mihos reaching first on a hit-by-pitch to put runners on the corners.
Corey Zientek hit a sac fly to center field to score Beach and advance Mihos to third, after he reached second on a wild pitch. Mihos scored on a second wild pitch to make the score 6-4.
In the top of the fifth, Ruiz singled to left field to score Mize from third to give the Panthers a 7-4 lead. Coastal tied it up at 7-7 after Barthol blasted his 15th home run of the season to right field to score Brown and Bodine.
The Chants took their first lead at 8-7 in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Bodine to score Antonacci, who reached on a hit-by-pitch.
The Panthers retook the lead in the eighth inning after tying the game at 8-8 in the top of the seventh. CCU leveled the game at 9-9 on a single up the middle by Bender to drive in Brown, who doubled to center.
GSU led off the final frame with a solo homer by Jackson to claim a 10-9 win.
GAME 2: COASTAL 17, GA. State 7 (8 innings)
Georgia State opened the scoring in the top of the third after CCU starter Flukey allowed his first base runner on a walk to Ryan Dyal followed by Martin's first home run of the season to take a 2-0 lead. Coastal tied the game up at 2-2 on Bodine's two-run homer to right center.
In the fourth inning, Jackson gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with his second home run of the day. The Chants matched the run as
Jake Books reach via base on balls and moved to third on a single by
Ty Dooley. Antonacci plated Books with a sac fly to right to make the score 3-3.
GSU built a four-run lead during the fifth and sixth innings as Jesse Donohoe hit a solo shot over the right-field wall. In the top of the sixth, Jackson doubled down the left-field line to score Mize before Ruiz grounded out to score Maginnis. Brennan Hudson wrapped up the scoring for the Panthers with a single to center to plate Jackson to make the score 7-3.
The Chanticleers exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth as Bodine doubled to left center to score Antonacci and Dooley. Barthol followed a walk by Bender with a double down the right-field line to score Brown and Bodine. Bender scored on a wild pitch with Barthol advancing to third before walks to Beach and Books loaded the bases for Mihos to double to left center to score Beach and Barthol. Dooley closed out the sixth inning scoring with a groundout RBI to plate Books and make the score 11-7.
Coastal added three in the bottom of the seventh after Brown and Bodine led off the home half of the inning on a walk and single before Bender hit his second home run of the day to give the Chants a 14-7 lead.
The Chanticleers walked off the game via the 10-run rule with Dooley leading off the bottom half of the eighth with a single to left center and moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Antonacci scored Dooley from second with a single to center field. With two outs, Bender hit his third home run of the day to right center, a two-run blast to score Antonacci, to give a 17-7 win to clinch the series.
Coastal will wrap up its home portion of the 2024 regular season on Tuesday, May 14, as the Chanticleers will take on the nationally-ranked No. 2 Clemson Tigers at Springs Brooks Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on WRNN 99.5 Hot Talk.
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.
