MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Top-seeded Coastal Carolina used a four-run burst over the first two innings and a dominant start from Cameron Flukey to defeat fourth-seeded Marshall 4-2 in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium.

The win extended the Chanticleers' winning streak to 16 games and pushed their record to 46-11 overall. Coastal Carolina advances to Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET, where they will face the winner of Friday's elimination game between No. 4 Marshall and No. 5 Louisiana.

Flukey (6-1) delivered a gem for the Chanticleers, striking out 10 over seven shutout innings while allowing just five hits and one walk. Ryan Lynch worked the final 1.1 innings to earn his sixth save of the season, recording the final four outs without allowing a baserunner.

Caden Bodine and Sebastian Alexander each drove in a run during Coastal's three-run second inning, which was aided by a hit-by-pitch, a walk and a pair of wild pitches. Bodine added a sacrifice fly in the first inning and reached base three times overall.

Marshall (32-25) mounted a rally in the eighth, scoring two runs on four hits to cut the lead in half, but Lynch entered with two runners on and shut the door.

The Chanticleers did not score after the second inning but made their early advantage hold behind strong defense and effective bullpen work. Blake Barthol led the team with two hits, while Wells Sykes reached base twice and stole his 14th base of the year.
 
Notebook:

Fast Start Holds Up: Coastal Carolina scored all four of its runs in the first two innings, capitalizing on early control issues from Marshall starter Griffin Miller, who walked five and threw two wild pitches in four innings. The Chants needed just two hits in the second inning to push across three runs thanks to timely situational hitting and small ball execution.

Flukey Fires: Cameron Flukey continued his late-season dominance with his best outing of the year. The right-hander struck out nine or more batters for the fourth-straight start and didn't allow a runner past second base in his seven innings of work. His 88-pitch effort included 63 strikes.

Bullpen Combination: The trio of Dominick Carbone, Scott Doran and Ryan Lynch closed out the final two frames. After a shaky eighth inning, Lynch entered with runners on second and third and struck out the only batter he faced to escape the jam before retiring the side in order in the ninth.

What's Next: Coastal Carolina awaits its next opponent on Saturday, set to face either Marshall in a rematch or Louisiana at 1:30 p.m. ET. One more win secures a spot in Sunday's Sun Belt Championship Game.