MONROE, La. – The No. 16 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers had four different players combine to hit for the home run cycle – a solo home run, two-run, three-run and a grand slam – while right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley threw six strong innings in a 13-3 blowout win over the ULM Warhawks in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams on Friday night at Warhawk Field in Monroe, La.
With the win the Chants are now 14-4-1 overall, 1-0 in Sun Belt play and 7-0 all-time versus ULM.
Junior second baseman Cory Wood led off the home run barrage with a three-run home run in the fourth. Designated hitter Jared Johnson hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning, while two innings later right fielder Jake Wright blasted a grand slam for his first home run as a Chant. First baseman Zach Biermann completed the home run cycle with a solo home run over the batter’s eye in straight-away center field.
Johnson (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Wright (2-for-5, GS, 2B, 5 RBIs, run), Wood (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs, run) and Scott McKeon (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, run) all had multiple RBIs in the win. The three runs by Johnson and the five RBIs from Wright are both career highs.
While the offense was using the long ball to score runs, McCambley (3-0) was dealing to earn his third win of the season and record his second quality start on the year.
The sophomore righty allowed just three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits, one walk and a career-high seven strikeouts over 6.0-complete innings on the mound.
The bullpen was solid as well, as Anthony Veneziano (1.0 IP, K), Davie Inman (1.0 IP) and Bobby Holmes (1.0 IP, 2 BB, K) did not allow a hit over the final three innings of the contest.
ULM was able to register just six hits on the night from four players in Chad Bell (2-for-4, 2B, run), Logan Wurm (2-for-3, RBI, run), Andrew Beesley (1-for-4, RBI, run) and Brendan Jordan (1-for-3).
The Warhawks starter Jacob Barton (1-2) was dealt the loss, as the righty gave up five runs on five hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.
Coastal scored first in the top of the second on a McKeon RBI single only to see the Warhawks get the run back in the bottom half of the inning on a bloop-single and a Coastal fielding error to put the score at 1-1 after two complete.
The Chants broke the game open with a five-run fourth, as Wright got the scoring going with an RBI double to left center field. After another RBI single by McKeon and a fielder’s choice, Wood launched a 3-0 pitch over the bull sign in right field for a three-run home run to put the Chants in front at 6-1. The blast was the first of the season for the second baseman.
Following a 1-2-3 inning for McCambley in the bottom of the fourth, the Chants added to their lead with a two-run home run from Johnson in the fifth to take a seven-run lead into the bottom of the fifth.
After ULM scored two runs in the sixth to cut the CCU lead to five at 8-3, Wright put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh with a grand slam to right field to put the visitors in front at 12-3.
Biermann added a solo home run over the batter’s eye in straight-away center field in the eighth, as the Chants downed the Warhawks by 10 in the conference-opening win.
Coastal (14-4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) and ULM (7-10, 0-1 Sun Belt) will play game two of the three-game conference series tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.