Conway, S.C. – Coastal Carolina baseball matched its season-high with four home runs as a team, as the Chanticleers powered past the top-seeded Texas State Bobcats 13-4 on Thursday afternoon at the 2019 Sun Belt Baseball Championship held at Springs Brooks Stadium.

With the win, the Chants will play the loser of tonight’s nightcap between No. 10 ULM and No. 4 UTA on Friday night, May 24, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

CCU has now hit four home runs four times this season in wins at ULM (March 15), at NC State (April 10), versus Appalachian State (May 10) and today versus Texas State.

Senior first baseman Zach Biermann’s (2-for-4, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBIs, 3 runs) two home runs mark the fifth time this season that a Chant has blasted multiple home runs in a game. Biermann joins Kieton Rivers (vs. UNCW, March 27 and against Georgia Southern, April 20),Kyle Skeels (at South Alabama, April 6) and Mike Koenig (at UTA, May 10), as Chants that have hit two home runs in the same game this year.

With their four-run second inning, the Chants have now posted 32 “big innings” of four or more runs on the season and improved to 17-5-1 in those contests.

Along with Biermann’s game-high four RBIs, shortstop Scott McKeon (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) registered a team-high three base hits, while Rivers (2-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI), Skeels (2-for-4, BB, 2 runs) and Morgan Hyde (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) all had two base hits on the day.

First-Team All-Sun Belt selection Parker Chavers (1-for-3, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, run) joined Hyde and Biermann with a home run of his own in the victory.

The Bobcats managed just four runs on seven hits, all of which were singles, and were led by two hits apiece from third baseman Jaylen Hubbard (2-for-5, run) and John Wuthrich (2-for-4, RBI, run).

The Coastal pitching staff stepped up in a big way on Thursday afternoon, as lefty Scott Kobos got the start and gave up just two runs on one hit, one walk and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work.

Trevor Damron (0.1 IP, 2 BB) and Alaska Abney (1.1 IP, 3hits, 1 ER, BB) bridged the gap in the middle innings before handing the ball over to fellow hurler Jay Causey (1-1) who picked up the win allowing only one unearned run on two hits and two strikeouts in 1.1 innings out of the bullpen.

Freshman Nick Parker (1) picked up the save, the first of his career, by allowing just one hit and scattering four walks over 2.2-scoreless innings to seal the win for the Chants.

Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Connor Reich (8-2) was handed the loss, as the righty was touched up for seven runs on eight hits, three walks and four strikeouts over 4.1 innings on the mound.

The Chants got the scoring going in the bottom of the second inning, as Biermann led off the at-bat with his team-leading 13th home run of the season to put the home team up 1-0.

After a McKeon one-out single and a walk to Nick Lucky put two runners on base, Hyde launched his first career home run over the bullpen in left field to give the Chants a 4-0 lead after just two innings of play.

Kobos pitched around a hit batter in the first and retired eight-straight batters over the first three innings of play to keep the No. 1-seeded Bobcats off the scoreboard early.

However, in the top of the fourth the Bobcats took advantage of a single and four walks, two of which came with the bases loaded, to cut the Coastal lead in half at 4-2 midway through the fourth.

The Bobcats added another run in the top of the fifth on three singles and the help of a CCU throwing error to close the gap to one at 4-3.

The Chants got the run back and then some in the bottom half of the inning, as a Jake Wrightsingle and back-to-back walks to Skeels and Biermann loaded the bases for Chavers who drew a four-pitch walk to force in Wright from third.

McKeon followed with a two-run single right back up the middle to push the Coastal lead out to four at 7-3.

Texas State scored another run in the top of the seventh on a pair of singles, a CCU fielding error and a sacrifice fly, only to see the Chants answer back with a solo home run from Chavers in the bottom half of the frame to take an 8-4 lead.

A Bobcats’ throwing error and an RBI double from Cory Wood followed by a Rivers’ RBI single added two more insurance runs and extended the Chants’ lead to 10-4 with two innings to play.

Biermann capped off the win with a three-run home run to right-center field, his 14th of the year, in the bottom of the eighth to put the final score at 13-4.

Both teams benefited from two timely double plays and committed two errors in the field.

The Bobcats left 11 runners on base, while the Chants surrendered eight on the base paths.

Coastal is now 31-24-1 overall on the season and will look to continue its season tomorrow night on day four of the 2019 Sun Belt Baseball Championship.