CONWAY – Four Chanticleers – Cory Wood, Kevin Woodall Jr., Zach Biermann and Parker Chavers – each had two hits to lead 16th-ranked Coastal Carolina to an 11-4 victory over UL Monroe Saturday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium.
With the victory, Coastal improves to 30-14 overall, 16-4 in the Sun Belt, and clinches the weekend series win. Coastal has won all seven Sun Belt series this season and has won 11 straight dating back to last season. The teams will conclude the series on Sunday with first pitch set for 11 am.
For the Chanticleers, Woodall hit his 15th home run of the season and drove in a pair of runs for the second straight day. Biermann finished with three RBI, Wood two and pinch hitter Turner Buis added two as well. Seth Lancaster accounted for five runs, scoring four times and driving in one, as he was 1-for-2 with three walks.
While the offense was rolling, CCU starter Jason Bilous improved to 6-1 on the season as he only allowed one hit over six innings. He walked four, including two in the first inning, with seven strikeouts. He did allow two runs in the first inning, but both were unearned.
As they did in game one, the Warhawks (18-24, 7-13) scored two in the top of the first inning. Braedon Barrett and Chad Bell walked to start the game. After a sacrifice bunt but runners on third and second, Bilous got a ground out and looked t escape unscathed with a second ground ball, but an error allowed both runners to score.
Coastal answered in the bottom half of the first. Lancaster walked, stole second and scored on a two-out double by Biermann.
The Chants grabbed a 3-2 lead in the third. Lancaster once again walked and stole second. Woodall then hit his 15th home run of the season. Ironically, Woodall also hit his 15th home run of the season last year in game two of the series at ULM.
Coastal opened its lead to 5-2 in the fourth. Cameron Pearcey walked and Matt Beaird singled. After a sacrifice bunt by Keaton Weisz, Wood lined a two-run single to left field.
In the fifth, Coastal loaded the bases on an error, bunt single and a second error on a sacrifice bunt. Beaird delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Kieton Rivers for a 6-2 cushion.
Coastal tackled on three runs in the sixth. Wood hit a leadoff double and scored on seeing-eye single through the right side by Lancaster. Woodall followed with a hit-and-run single. Biermann then hit a double to score Lancaster from third and Woodall from first.
Buis put the Chants up 11-2 in the eighth as he had a pinch hit, two-run single in the eighth inning, scoring Lancaster and Woodall.
ULM pushed two across the plate in the ninth to provide the 11-4 final score. With one out, pinch hitters Pierce Khan and Jacob Charron singled. Will Daniels was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a strikeout, Barrett hit a two-out, two-run single.
Trey Jeans (2-6) suffered the loss, allowing four hits and five runs over four innings.