Conway, SC (WBTW) — On a frigid Saturday evening, No. 21 Coastal Carolina led from start to finish in a 7-2 home win over the Maryland Terrapins of the Big Ten on day two of the Brittain Resorts Invitational at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Getting the start on the mound for the Chanticleers was junior Anthony Veneziano (1-0) who had a strong showing to earn the victory. The left-handed hurler allowed just three hits and struck out six batters over 5.0-scoreless innings.
The Coastal bullpen of Davie Inman (1.2 IP, 2 ER, 1 hit, 3 BB, 3 K), Trevor Damron (1.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and Scott Kobos (1.0 IP, 2 K ) pitched the final four innings in the win, as the Chants pitching staff struck out 12 Maryland batters on the night.
Offensively, nine different Chants had a base hit in the win, while six different players had one RBI for the game.
Senior Zach Biermann (3-for-5, RBI) and junior Cory Wood (2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 runs, 2 SB) combined for five of CCU’s 12 hits for the game. Cameron Pearcey (1-for-3, 2B, RBI, run), Kyle Skeels (1-for-2, 2B, 3 BB, RBI), Kieton Rivers (1-for-4, 3B, BB, RBI, run), Keaton Weisz (1-for-3, BB, RBI, run) and Bradley Riopelle (1-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI) all drove in one RBI at the plate.
Maryland had just four hits on the night, as Randy Bednar (1-for-4, BB, 2 RBIs) drove in the lone two runs for the Terrapins with a two-run single in the seventh. Maxwell Costes (1-for-4), Michael Pineiro (1-for-2, BB, run) and Seb Holte-Mancera (1-for-4) had the other three hits in the loss.
UMD starting pitcher Zach Thompson (0-1) was saddled with the loss, as the right-handed pitcher gave up five runs on nine hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
Unlike in the season-opening win over VCU on Friday night, the Chanticleers jumped out to an early lead to start the contest on Saturday, as Wood and Pearcey hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the first inning to put the home team in front 1-0 after one inning of play.
After a bizarre infield fly call ended the Chants scoring threat in the second, Coastal pushed across three runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted on a Rivers’ two-out RBI triple and a two-out RBI single off the bat of Weisz to put the home team on top 4-0 heading into the fourth inning.
Veneziano would throw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth and then struck out three Terrapins in the fifth, while the offense added a run in each of the next three innings on a Biermann RBI single in the fourth, an RBI double from Riopelle in the fifth and another RBI double off the bat of Skeels in the sixth to run out to a 7-0 lead with three innings left to play.
Maryland spoiled the shutout attempt by the Chants in the top of the seventh, as Bednar hit a two-out bases-loaded single to center field to plate two Terrapins and put the score at 7-2 in favor of CCU.
Coastal stranded 14 runners on base on the night, five more than the Terrapins.
Coastal (2-0) will host Campbell (1-1) tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET. VCU (1-1) and Maryland (0-2) will play the first game on the final day of the three-day tournament at 11 a.m.ET.