Coastal Carolina pitcher Jaxon Appelman threw six strong innings and the 14th-ranked Chanticleers scored twice in the ninth inning to defeat The Citadel 3-2 on March 31 at Riley Park.
Appelman turned in a career performance on the mound, tossing a career-high six hitless innings while allowing just one earned run on one walk and striking out a career-best eight batters. The right-hander faced minimal traffic throughout his outing, keeping the Bulldogs (12-15) off balance as neither team recorded a hit through the first five innings.
Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, the Chanticleers broke through as Rex Watson launched a solo home run to right field, his team-leading ninth of the season, to even the score at 1. Watson finished the night with two of Coastal’s four hits.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh when The Citadel capitalized on a Coastal error. With runners on the corners, Christian Stratis drove in a run on a Chanticleer fielding miscue to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
Coastal responded in the ninth inning. With a runner on third, Cruz Harlan raced home on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2. Moments later, Dean Mihos delivered the decisive blow, driving in Colby Thorndyke, who reached earlier in the inning on a throwing error and later stole second, with the go-ahead run.
Colby Richardson earned the win in relief, while Scott Doran picked up the save by recording the final three outs to secure the victory. As a team, the Chanticleers held the Bulldogs to just two hits.
With the win, Coastal Carolina extended its winning streak to eight games, improving to 21-7 overall on the season.
College of Charleston 15, Winthrop 5
ROCK HILL — Sophomore Alex LaCoste went 5-for-6 with two home runs as College of Charleston defeated Winthrop on March 31.
Redshirt senior Ethan Plyler also had a home run for the Cougars, who handed the Eagles just their third home loss in 20 tries this year.
Charleston (11-17) came out swinging, putting six runs on the board before Winthrop (21-8) came to the plate.