CONWAY, S.C. – Behind a dominant outing from sophomore right-hander Luke Jones, Coastal Carolina defeated Texas State 6-2 in Friday night's series opener at Springs Brooks Stadium.

Jones was in control from the start, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. The sophomore worked around three walks and struck out six, keeping the Bobcats off balance and limiting any extra-base damage.

The Chanticleers (29-12, 16-3 SBC) gave Jones all the support he would need in the fifth inning. Holding a slim 1-0 lead, Brice Estep extended the advantage with a solo home run, his seventh of the season, to make it 2-0. Later in the frame, Blake Barthol added to the cushion with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 3-0.

Coastal continued to add on in the seventh, plating two runs to extend the lead to 5-0 and put the game out of reach.

At the plate, Estep paced the Chants, going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, while driving in two runs. Ty Barrango added a pair of singles.

The Chanticleers will look to secure the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.