Beach, Chants Walk-Off with 7-6 Win Over Davidson

CONWAY, S.C. – With runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the score tied at 6-6, senior Zack Beach came off the bench to lace a pinch-hit single to center field to score the winning run from third base and give the Chanticleers a 7-6 come-from-behind walk-off win over the Davidson Wildcats on Friday night at Springs Brooks Stadium.

The Chanticleers erased a 6-1 deficit and scored the final six runs of the game to pick up the come-from-behind win.

For the game, Coastal’s offense hit 1.000 (1-for-1) with the bases loaded, .417 (5-for-12) with runners in scoring position, and .438 (7-for-16) with two outs.

Six of the Chants’ seven runs for the game came with two outs.

With three outs left in the bottom of the ninth, the Coastal lead-off hitter grounded out to the shortstop for out number one.

After a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout put a runner on first with two outs for the Chants, Graham Brown found green grass in left field for a single to put runners on first and second.

Pinch-hitter Tanner Garrison then hit a hard chopper to third base which was misplayed by the Davidson third baseman. The error kept the Chants alive, as pinch-runner Anthony Galason raced around from second base to score on the play and tie the game up at 6-6.

With both runners moving up to second and third on the fielding mistake, Beach hit a 1-2 pitch into center field to score Brown and send the Chants home with the 7-6 win.

Sophomore Derek Bender (2-for-4, 2B, HBP, 3 RBIs) had himself another two-hit game and drove in a team-high three RBIs, while Brown (2-for-4, HBP, RBI, run) also had two hits and an RBI. Infielder Payton Eeles (1-for-2, 2 BB, HBP, RBI, run) reached base three times from his lead-off spot.

For Davidson offensively, five different Wildcats had an RBI on the night, led by Ryan Wilson (2-for-3, HR, HBP, 2 RBIs, 3 runs) and his two-run home run.

The win went to CCU’s Teddy Sharkey (1-0), as the junior righty needed just three pitches to strike out the lone batter he faced in the top of the ninth inning.CCU pitchers Jacob Morrison (6.0 IP, 8 hits, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 10 K) and Bryce Shaffer (2.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) combined to strikeout 13 Davidson hitters, with Morrison setting a new career-high with 10 punch-outs over 6.0-complete innings.

Davidson’s starter Will Schomberg took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Coastal freshman Jake Books recorded his first career hit with a bloop single to left field. Schomberg allowed one run on four hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings but did not factor in the decision.

The loss was handed to reliever Brycen Champey (1-1), as he went 1.0 inning, surrendering two unearned runs on two hits, one hit batter, and one strikeout.

Davidson got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning, as the Wildcats led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and a throwing error by the Coastal pitcher on a failed pickoff attempt to put a runner on third with no outs.

The two miscues seemed to unravel the Chants, as the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead on a Henry Koehler RBI single to right field. Three batters later, with two outs, Jacob Friend doubled to left-center field to score another run, while Jack Cotrone followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 3-0 midway through the second inning

.After Davidson added to its lead with a Jacob Hinderleider sacrifice fly in the top of the third, the Chants’ offense continued to struggle until posting back-to-back singles in the bottom of the fifth frame.

Coastal finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Brown, yet were unable to push across any more runs to put the score at 4-1 with three innings to play.

The Wildcats used one swing of the bat to add two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on Wilson’s two-run home run to left field to put the visitors back in front big at 6-1.

The rest of the night belonged to the Chants, as Bender ripped a two-out, bases-loaded double to right field, which got past the sliding Davidson outfielder to clear the bases and cut the Wildcats’ lead to two at 6-4 heading into the eighth inning.

After Shaffer pitched around a two-out walk by picking off the Davidson runner on first base to end the top of the eighth inning, the Chants continued their comeback bid with a two-out RBI single by Eeles to close the gap to one at 6-5 with one inning to play.

Shaffer and Sharkey pitched around an intentional walk in the top of the ninth to keep the deficit at one and set up the ninth-inning heroics.

Coastal (5-4) and Davidson (5-4) will play game two of the three-game series tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.