CHARLESTON, S.C. – No. 14 Coastal Carolina used a dominant start from Jaxon Appelman and late-inning heroics to rally past The Citadel, 3-2, on Tuesday night in Charleston, S.C.

Appelman turned in a career performance on the mound, tossing a career-high 6.0 hitless innings while allowing just one earned run on one walk and striking out a career-best eight batters. The right-hander faced minimal traffic throughout his outing, keeping the Bulldogs off balance as neither team recorded a hit through the first five innings.

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, the Chanticleers broke through as Rex Watson launched a solo home run to right field, his team-leading ninth of the season, to even the score at 1-1. Watson finished the night with two of Coastal's four hits.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh when The Citadel capitalized on a Coastal error. With runners on the corners, Christian Stratis drove in a run on a Chanticleer fielding miscue to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

Coastal responded in the ninth inning. With a runner on third, Cruz Harlan raced home on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2. Moments later, Dean Mihos delivered the decisive blow, driving in Colby Thorndyke, who reached earlier in the inning on a throwing error and later stole second, with the go-ahead run.

Colby Richardson earned the win in relief, while Scott Doran picked up the save by recording the final three outs to secure the victory. As a team, the Chanticleers held the Bulldogs to just two hits.

With the win, Coastal Carolina extended its winning streak to eight games, improving to 21-7 overall on the season.

The Chanticleers will return to Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday for a three-game home series against South Alabama. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.