Coastal Takes 13-2 Decision From UNC Wilmington
Coastal Carolina was out-hit eight-to-six, but claimed a 13-2 win over rival UNC Wilmington Wednesday night at Springs Brooks Stadium.
The Chanticleers (16-10) took advantage of 10 walks, two hit by pitches and error by the Seahawks (11-12) to get the victory.
Peyton Isaacson provided the big hit with a three-run double as part of a five-run fourth inning. Then, in the fifth and bases loaded, UNCW dropped the potential third out to allow three runs to score and put the game out of reach.
Kevin Woodall Jr., added two hits and two RBI for CCU while redshirt freshman Kyle Skeels hit his first career home run and finished with three runs scored.
Anthony Veneziano (2-1) was credited with the win. He allowed five hits, including two solo home runs, with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Rafi Vazquez picked up a three-inning save, his second of the season, as he allowed one hit and struck out two. Andrew Beckwith bridged the gap and struck out three of the six batters he faced.
The Chants raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Billy Cooke walked and stole second. With two outs, Woodall walked and Wood Myers followed with an RBI single back up the middle. Dalton Ewing then lined a two-run double down the third base line to bring home both Woodall and Myers.
Daniel Stack got one of those runs back in the top of the second for UNCW as he hit a solo home run over the left field wall for his first round-tripper of the season.
Coastal sent 11 men to the plate in the fourth inning and exploded for five runs, all with two outs, to extend its lead to 8-1. Pinch hitter Cory Wood drew a two-out walk, as did Skeels. Cooke was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Jordan Gore walked to force home Wood. Isaacson cleaned the bases with a three-run double to left-center field. Woodall capped the scoring with an RBI single back up the middle.
Casey Golden cut into the Seahawks' deficit in the fifth inning with a solo home run that stayed just fair down the left field line.
However, in the bottom of the fifth, UNCW loaded the bases thanks to two walks and hit batter to the first three batters. Austin Easter then came on for the Seahawks, got two strikeouts and looked to escape with a fly ball. However, an error allowed Wood, Skeels and Cooke to score to put the Chants up 11-2.
Skeels started the bottom of the seventh with a blast to left field to mark his first career home run and push the lead to 12-2. Later, Isaacson reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Woodall single to provide the 13-2 final.
Zarion Shape (0-1) took the loss and was one of eight UNCW pitchers that combined to walk 10 batters while getting 11 strikeouts.
Coastal Carolina will return to Sun Belt action this weekend with a three-game series in Atlanta versus Georgia State. Game times are 6 pm Friday, 2 pm Saturday and 1 pm Sunday.
Louisiana Drops Two Games At Southeastern La.
HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team dropped a pair of contests at Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday night falling 5-4 on a walk-off homer in the 14th inning of the resumed game before losing 15-3 in the nightcap at Alumni Field.
With the losses, the Ragin' Cajuns fall to 14-11 on the season, while the Lions improve to 16-9.
"We've been pitching good all year, and that's what has kept us in ballgames. But tonight we set a poor tempo on the mound and walked too many people and gave them too many free bases," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "When they got a hit, it did damage. We gave them something like 19 free bases and they did something with them."
Junior Wyatt Marks (1-1) took the loss in the first game giving up one run on one hit in three innings, while Josh Green (1-0) was the winner tossing 4.2 innings with one unearned run on seven hits.
The Louisiana pitching staff hit nine batters and walked 10 in the second game as freshman Haden Erbe (0-1) suffered his first career loss in the contest. Erbe gave up two runs on a hit, two walks and two hit batters in 0.2 innings of work.
Southeastern Louisiana reliever Payton Anderson (1-0) claimed the victory in the nightcap allowing just two unearned run on one hit in 3.1 innings.
Junior Steven Sensley led the Cajuns with four hits in the two games including a triple and an RBI.
The Lions had a combined 17 hits in the two games with four home runs led by Taylor Schwaner who hit for the cycle in the first game and went 5-for-7 in the two games with three RBI, walked three times and was hit by a pitch three times.
In the resumption of the suspended game, the Cajuns and Lions went three scoreless frames before Schwaner delivered a two-out, walk-off homer over the fence in left to give Southeastern Louisiana a 5-4 victory in 14 innings.
The Lions carried the momentum over into the regularly scheduled game scoring two runs in the bottom of the first on a pair of hit batters by Erbe with the bases loaded and two outs.
After the Cajuns got a run in the top of the third on a leadoff solo home run to right field by shortstop Hunter Kasuls, Southeastern La. plated four runs on just two hits to grab a commanding 6-1 advantage. A two-out, two run single down the left field line by Drew Avans highlighted the scoring in the inning.
Southeastern Louisiana added four runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend its advantage to 10-1.
Louisiana picked up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 10-3, but the Lions answered in the bottom half of the sixth with five more runs to put the game out of reach at 15-3.
The Cajuns return to action Friday at 6 p.m. as they host South Alabama in the first game of a three-game conference series at Russo Park.
PANTHERS FALL 10-7 TO KENNESAW STATE
ATLANTA -- Georgia State fell to Kennesaw State 10-7 Wednesday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
After allowing four runs in the first inning, Georgia State (11-14) rallied with two runs in the third and two more in the fifth to tie the
game, but the Owls regained the lead for good with a three-run seventh inning.
Trailing 10-4 in the ninth, the Panthers mounted one last rally. Justin Jones and Ryan Blanton led off with back to back doubles, and then with two outs, Nick Gatewood hit a two-run homer, his first of the season, to pull the Panthers within 10-7.
Over the last two games, Gatewood is 5-for-6 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored.
Kennesaw State (11-14) jumped to a 4-0 lead as Taylor Allum and Forrest Bramlett his two-run homers off GSU starter Jordan Lee.
Tyler Elwer came on to pitch for Georgia State in the second inning and tossed five scoreless innings to allow the Panthers to get back in the game. Elwer allowed four singles and walked none in his career-long outing.
The Panthers scored two in the second as Blanton drew a bases-loaded walk and Romero Greer added a run-scoring single. Then GSU tied the game in the fifth as back-to-back hits by Romero Greer and Darius Sewell, plus an error and a wild pitch produced two more runs.
In the seventh, the Owls took the lead with a two-out rally, loading the bases on a walk, an infield single and a hit batter. Pinch hitter Garrett Hodges drew a bases-loaded walk and then Jeremy Howell's bloop single put KSU ahead 7-4.
Georgia State returns home to host Kennesaw State Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex on PantherVision before defending NCAA champion and new Sun Belt member Coastal Carolina visits next weekend.