TROY, Ala. – The No. 7 seeded Coastal Carolina softball team upset No. 2 seed Marshall, 5-2, to advance to the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2022 on Thursday afternoon in Troy, Ala.

The Chanticleers came out hot as Delaney Keith and Georgia Hood reached base on a single and a walk in the top of the first inning. Keirstin Roose then drove in her 100th career RBI with a single up the middle, and Maddy Jenning followed with an RBI groundout to give Coastal a 2-0 lead.

Coastal capitalized on a leadoff walk and a Roose double to put two runners in scoring position in the top of the third. The Chants brought three runs home on a wild pitch, a McKennah Metzger single, and a Reece Collier double to extend their lead to 5-0.

Marshall responded in the bottom of the inning, plating two runs on a CCU fielding error and a Reilly Lucas single to cut the deficit to 5-2.

Senior pitcher Nicolette Picone shut down the Thundering Herd over the final four innings, recording two 1-2-3 frames and allowing just two hits to improve to 26-9 in the circle.

The Chanticleers will face No. 3 seed Louisiana in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals on May 9 at 11 a.m. ET.

For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSoftball (X), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.