Box Score
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Ted Blackman and Zach Remillard each had three hits, while Josh Powell and Nick Oberg each had two RBI to lead No. 2 Coastal Carolina University to a 6-1 victory against No. 7 Longwood University in the opening game of the 2013 Big South Baseball Championship on Tuesday morning at the Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg. Tyler Herb gained the pitching win with the first 6.0 innings for the Chanticleers (36-19), while Aaron Burke gained the save with the final 3.0 innings. Senior
Justin Lacy/Glen Allen along with sophomores
Brandon Delk/Newport News and
Conner Hall/Mechanicsville each had two hits to lead the Lancers (24-27), while senior
Kyler Morgan/Lancaster, Pennsylvania took the mound loss with the first 4.0-plus innings. Longwood will play again on Wednesday, May 22, at 9:30 a.m. against No. 3 High Point University in an elimination game at the conference tournament being played in Lynchburg.
Longwood put a runner on in the first inning when junior captain
Matt Dickason/Chesapeake (1-4) singled with one out, but was caught stealing to end the top half of the first. Coastal Carolina got two runners on in the bottom of the first with two outs, getting a walk and a single before Morgan ended the threat with his third fly-ball out during the inning.
Longwood loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning following a single by Lacy (2-4), a double to right-center field by Delk (2-4) and a walk to Hall (2-3), but a ground ball out ended the threat. Coastal Carolina, however, scored three runs on four hits in the second to lead 3-0 with all of the runs crossing the plate with two outs. Remillard (3-3, RBI) singled with one out and stole second base with two outs before moving to third on a wild pitch and scoring on an infield single by Oberg (2-4, 2 RBI). Blackman (3-5) followed with a single and Jacob May (1-3) was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Powell (2-4, 2 RBI), a defensive replacement at catcher in the top of the inning, promptly lined a two-run single that scored both Oberg and Blackman.
Longwood went down in order in the third inning before CCU made it 4-0 with another run in the third, getting a lead-off double from Jake Kane (1-4) and a one-out RBI single from Remillard.
Longwood got a two-out single from Lacy in the fourth inning, but left him at first base on a fly-ball out. Coastal also stranded a runner in the fourth after a lead-off single from Blackman.
Longwood got a lead-off single in the fifth inning from Hall, but he was out on a double play, as the Lancers were down in order again. Coastal Carolina made it 5-0 with a run in the fifth to chase Morgan, getting a lead-off single from Kane, who stole second base and scored on a run-scoring single by Colin Hering (1-3, RBI). Freshman
Travis Burnette/Lynchburg replaced Morgan and allowed a two-out RBI single to Oberg to plate Herring.
Longwood got a one-out single from junior captain
Alex Owens/Purcellville (1-3) in the sixth inning, but he was out on a double-play ball to end the at-bat. CCU got a one-out double from Powell in the sixth, but he was left on third as Burnette struck out Kane looking to end the inning.
Longwood faced a new pitcher in the seventh inning as Burke entered for the Chanticleers, though things remained the same as freshman
Kyri Washington/Prospect (1-4), Lacy and Delk went down in order. Coastal was retired in order in the seventh, too, after an unconventional double play turned by Hall (unassisted) at first base to the shortstop covering the bag at second base with the tag.
Longwood finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth inning to make it 6-1 when Hall opened with a single, moved to third on a double down the left field line by freshman pinch-hitter
C.J. Roth/Yorktown (1-1) and scored on a ground ball out by classmate
Colton Konvicka/Richmond (0-4, RBI). The Chants loaded the bases with two outs in eighth but fortunately stranded the runners.
Longwood put Washington on base to open the ninth inning on a bloop single to center field, but another ground ball double play followed. Delk singled with two outs ahead of another ground ball that ended the game.
"Coastal Carolina is a very good team and plays real good defense," said 35th-year Longwood head coach Buddy Bolding. "We were ready to play this morning, but they had an inning where they scored three runs early. We did not capitalize on our opportunity in the second, and we just did not get a big hit after that. I thought our pitching was good."
Morgan (5-6) started and pitched the first 4.0-plus innings for Longwood, allowing nine hits and six runs, all earned, with two walks and one strikeout. Burnette tossed the final 4.0 scoreless innings for the Lancers, scattering five hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Herb (6-1) started and pitched the first 6.0 shutout innings for Coastal Carolina, yielding six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Burke (1) went the final 3.0 innings for the Chanticleers' save, allowing four hits and one run, earned, with one walk and one strikeout.
High Point fell to No. 6 Gardner-Webb by a score of 8-2 in the second game of the tournament later Tuesday.
