Conway, S.C. – Sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley struck out a career-high 10 batters to lead a Chanticleers’ pitching attack that fanned a season-high 14 hitters and stranded a total of 14 Troy runners in a 4-2 win over the Trojans at Springs Brooks Stadium on Friday night.

No. 16 Coastal Carolina improved to 4-0 in the Sun Belt and 17-4-1 overall with the win.

McCambley (4-0) allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 10 batters over 5.0-scoreless innings to record his fourth win of the season. His 10 punch-outs were the most by a Coastal pitcher since Jason Bilous fanned 11 batters versus Little Rock last season on May 11, 2018.

The bullpen of Matt Eardensohn (3.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 hits, 2 K), Anthony Veneziano (0.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, BB, K) and Alaska Abney (0.2 IP, BB, K) did the rest, as the trio combined for four strikeouts over the final four innings of play.

Abney (3) inherited two runners and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam with the go-ahead run on first base to register his third save of the year.

At the plate, the Chants managed just nine hits for the game, yet scored four runs highlighted by a two-home run from Zach Biermann (1-for-4, HR, run), a solo shot by Jake Wright (3-for-4, HR, 3B, RBI, 2 runs) and an RBI double from Scott McKeon (2-for-3, 2B, RBI).

Troy starter Levi Thomas (3-2) allowed all four runs on seven hits and nine strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work.

The Trojans recorded 11 base hits, eight of which were singles, as lead-off hitter Rigsby Mosley (3-for-5, 2B, run), Dalton Sinquefield (2-for-3, 2 BB, RBI), Logan Cerny (2-for-5) and Manning Early (2-for-4, run) all had multiple hits for the game.

After McCambley pitched around an infield single by striking out the side in the top of the first, Wright quickly put the Chants in front 1-0 early with a solo home run to right center field in the bottom half of the inning.

McKeon lined a two-out double to left center field to score Parker Chavers in the very next inning to give the home team a 2-0 lead after just two innings of play.

McCambley struck out two in the second, threw a clean third and fanned two more in the fourth to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard through the first four innings.

Troy threatened in the fifth, as the Trojans loaded the bases on a single, a two-out double and an intentional walk only to see McCambley get a routine ground ball to McKeon at shortstop to get the runner out at second and keep the shutout intact.

Following a 1-2-3 inning by Eardensohn in the top of the sixth, the Chants got a two-run home run over the 20-foot batter’s eye in straight-away center field by Biermann to double the lead at 4-0.

Biermann’s bomb was only the eighth home run to sail over the tall batter’s eye in center field in Springs Brooks Stadium five-year history (2015) and only the fifth Chant to accomplish the feat.

The Trojans spoiled the Chants shutout bid in the top of the seventh on a two-out Sinquefield RBI single but had two runners stranded on a ground out to the shortstop once again.

Up 4-1, the Trojans got an RBI double from Sadler Goodwin in the top of the ninth to trim the Chants’ lead to 4-2 before loading the bases with one out.

Abney then got a huge strikeout, the 14th of the game for the Chants’ pitching staff, and a ground ball back to him on the mound to seal the two-run win.

Coastal (17-4-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) and Troy (10-12, 0-4 Sun Belt) will play game two of the three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.