BOONE, N.C. – No. 16 Coastal Carolina broke open a tie game with four runs in the ninth inning to defeat Appalachian State 10-6 in the Sun Belt Conference opener on Friday night.
With the game tied 6-6 entering the final frame, the Chanticleers loaded the bases before delivering the decisive blow. A single by Colby Thorndyke brought home Trace Mazon from third while Blake Barthol scored on a throwing error on the same play to give Coastal an 8-6 lead. Thorndyke finished 3-for-5 on the night with three RBIs.
The Chants added two more insurance runs in the inning. Brice Estep executed a safety squeeze to score Walker Mitchell, and Jordan Taylor followed with a triple that plated Thorndyke to push the advantage to 10-6.
Earlier in the game, Coastal built a 6-0 lead behind a six-run stretch across the sixth and seventh innings. Mitchell and Thorndyke opened the sixth with back-to-back singles before Rex Watson launched his team-leading fourth home run of the season over the left-center field wall to give the Chanticleers a 3-0 lead.
Domenico Tozzi later added an RBI single that scored Blagen Pado to extend the lead to 4-0. Barthol followed in the seventh inning with a two-run home run, his first of the season, to make it 6-0.
Appalachian State rallied late to tie the game 6-6 in the eighth inning before Coastal responded with its four-run ninth.
With the victory, Coastal Carolina improves to 11-6 overall and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Chanticleers and Mountaineers will continue their three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
