HAMPTON, Va. — No. 8 Coastal Carolina flexed the offense again on Saturday, routing Old Dominion 12-1 in seven innings at War Memorial Stadium to complete its sixth-straight weekend sweep and extend its winning streaks to 14 games overall and 18 games in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Chanticleers (44-11, 26-4 SBC) scored 11 runs over their final three at-bats and got a long-awaited home run from
Ty Barrango, whose three-run blast to deep center in the sixth inning broke the game wide open. It was Barrango's first home run since Opening Weekend and the exclamation point of a six-run frame.
Sebastian Alexander and
Blake Barthol also homered for Coastal, while
Chad Born and
Colby Thorndyke combined for five RBIs. Barthol went 2-for-5 with his 11th long ball of the season and added a stolen base, while Alexander reached base four times and scored three runs.
Freshman
Jaxon Appelman made his second career appearance and struck out five of the six batters he faced to close the door. Starter
Riley Eikhoff, along with
Luke Jones and
Matthew Potok, held the Monarchs (21-29, 15-15 SBC) to just one run on six hits.
The Chants plated four runs in the fifth to take control before breaking it open with the six-run sixth. Barrango added a sacrifice fly in the fifth to finish with a career-high four RBIs.
NOTEBOOK
Series Sweep Streak Grows to Six: Coastal's three-game sweep of Old Dominion marked its sixth consecutive weekend sweep and its 14th win in a row overall. The Chants have now won 18 consecutive Sun Belt Conference games and finish the regular season with a league-best 26-4 conference record.
Barrango Breaks Out: Shortstop
Ty Barrango delivered a towering three-run homer to center field during the Chants' six-run sixth inning. It was his first round-tripper since Feb. 15 against Kansas State. Barrango finished with four RBIs — the most in a game during his collegiate career — including a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Appelman Dominates in Relief: Freshman right-hander
Jaxon Appelman was electric in his second outing of the season. The 6-foot-5 reliever struck out five of the six batters he faced over two perfect innings, throwing 25 pitches and needing just 16 strikes to carve through the Monarchs.
Offensive Firepower Continues: The Chants have now scored 10 or more runs in 19 games this season. Saturday's effort was powered by nine hits and six free passes. Coastal took advantage of six hit-by-pitches and three ODU errors to plate runs in bunches.
Top Performers:
- Blake Barthol: 2-for-5, HR (11), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB
- Sebastian Alexander: 2-for-3, HR (9), 2B, BB, 3 R, SB
- Chad Born: 1-for-3, 3 RBI, HBP
- Ty Barrango: 1-for-3, HR (2), 4 RBI
- Jaxon Appelman: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Up Next: Coastal Carolina will enter the Sun Belt Championship in Montgomery, Alabama, as the No. 1 overall seed. The tournament begins Tuesday.