Coastal completes series sweep at Troy with 11-7 Sunday win

TROY, Ala. – The Chanticleers drove in double-digit runs for the sixth time over their last 12 games to complete the series sweep of the Trojans with an 11-7 win on Sunday afternoon in Troy, Ala.

With the series sweep, the Chanticleers have now recorded five SBC series sweeps on the season and have won each of their last five conference series since being swept at home to Georgia State on April 8-10.

The win pushed CCU to 33-16-1 overall and 19-7-1 in league play. Since being swept at home by the Panthers in early April, Coastal has gone 16-3 overall, including winning 14 of their last 15 Sun Belt Conference games.

The loss dropped Troy to 29-21 overall and 13-15 in conference action and extended the current losing streak to seven consecutive games.

Senior hurler Nick Parker (4-3) picked up the win, as despite not pitching like the Nick Parker we know, he battled on the mound for the Men in Teal, allowing six runs on six hits, including two three-run home runs, three walks, and matched his career-high with eight strikeouts over 5.0-complete innings.

Picking up his third save of the season was Jacob Maton (3), as the righty pitched 2.0-scoreless innings over the eighth and ninth frames.

The loss fell to Troy starter Grayson Stewart (4-4), as he gave up seven runs, five of which were earned, on three hits, four walks, one hit batter, and two strikeouts in 2.0-plus innings on the mound.

Third baseman Dale Thomas (3-for-3, HR, 2B, BB, SAC, 3 RBIs, run, SB) paced the Chants’ offense with a team-high three base hits and three RBIs, while lead-off hitter Austin White (2-for-5, 2B, HBP, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 SB) drove in two RBIs and stole two bases. Both Eric Brown (0-for-4, BB, RBI) and Graham Brown (2-for-4, 2 2B, SF, 2 RBIs, run) combined to drive in three runs in the win, while Matt McDermott (1-for-2, 3B, 3 BB, 2 runs, SB) reach base safely four out of five plate appearances.

The Trojans’ offense was led by both Jesse Hall (3-for-5, 2B, run) and Caleb Barterlo (3-for-4, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) with three RBIs apiece, while Kyle Mock (1-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs, run) also had a three-run home run in the loss.

The Chanticleers’ scoring trend continued to start Sunday’s contest, as the visitors took advantage of a hit-by-pitch, two walks, and an error, to plate three runs on a Thomas two-out double to take a 3-0 lead just one bat into the game.

However, the lead did not last for long, as the Trojans took advantage of two walks to tie the game up on a three-run home run to straightaway center field from Mock to tie the game up at 3-3 after one inning of play.

Coastal continued the scoring in the top of the second, as Matt McDermott drew a one-out walk, stole second, and then switched places with Austin White on an RBI-double to put the visitors back in front at 4-3.

White would then swipe third, his second stolen base of the game, and then score on a ground ball to shortstop off the bat of Eric Brown to extend the Chants’ lead to 5-3 midway through the second inning.

Following a 1-2-3 shutdown inning from Parker and the Chants in the bottom of the second inning, the Chants added to the lead in the top of the third on a Graham Brown sacrifice fly and scored another run on a Troy throwing error to push the lead out to four at 7-3.

It would be déjà vu for the Trojans in the bottom of the third, as just like in the first inning the home team belted a three-run home run, this time over the left-field fence, to cut the Chants’ lead back to one at 7-6 one-third of the way through the contest.

The back-and-forth scoring continued in the top of the fifth, as this time it was a long ball from the Chants’ Thomas whose solo shot to left field put us back on top by two at 8-6 midway through the fifth frame.

Again, the Chants scored one run in the top of the sixth, as McDermott led off the inning with a triple to the right-center field gap after making a diving stop to save a run to end the fifth inning. White followed with a hard-hit ground ball up the middle to the shortstop to plate McDermott and give the visitors a 9-6 lead.

The Trojans threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning, as a lead-off single, walk, and error on the infield loaded the bases for the home team and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. However, Riley Eikhoff got a 4-6-3 double-play ball and a ground out to first base to hold the damage to just one run and send the game into the seventh at 9-7.

Troy again put the first two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, however, just like Eikhoff before him Jonathan Blackwell pitched out of trouble with a fielder’s choice, fly out, and ground out to strand two Trojans on base and keep the lead at two with two innings to play.

The offense came up big again in the top of the ninth inning, as Thomas and Graham Brown teamed up to score an insurance run with a walk, stolen base, and double to right field to give the Chants double-digit runs at 10 before a walk, wild pitch, and infield RBI-single from White gave the visitors an 11-7 lead with three outs to play.

Maton pitched around a hit-by-pitch to get back-to-back ground balls to end the ninth and seal the road series sweep over the Trojans.

Coastal held a slight 4-3 edge in two-out RBIs for the game, while both teams stranded eight runners on base for the contest.

Coastal Carolina will wrap up the regular season with a four-game homestand starting on Tuesday night, May 17, versus Clemson (32-19). First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET. Standing room tickets only are available for the home midweek Palmetto State showdown.