CONWAY, S.C. – No. 8 Coastal Carolina was unable to overcome an early deficit, falling 8-4 to Clemson on Tuesday night at Springs Brooks Stadium to split the season series with the Tigers.
Clemson jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Chanticleers broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rex Watson delivered an RBI single to score Blake Barthol from second and cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Tigers answered with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to extend their lead to 5-1, but Coastal responded in the bottom half of the inning. Walker Mitchell sparked the rally with a two-run double, bringing the Chants within two at 5-3. Mitchell finished 2-for-3 on the night with a pair of doubles, while Jackson Winer and Rex Watson also recorded two hits apiece, including a double each.
Clemson added insurance runs over the final two innings to maintain control, pushing its lead to 8-3.
Coastal added one more run in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by Brice Estep, but it would not be enough to close the gap.
With the loss, Coastal Carolina drops to 33-15 overall while remaining 19-5 in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Chanticleers will return to Springs Brooks Stadium this weekend to host Old Dominion in a three-game conference series. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
