Conway, S.C. – Redshirt junior catcher Kyle Skeels blasted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the No. 16 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers a 9-7 walk-off win over the Troy Trojans on Saturday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Skeels’ walk-off home run is the first for the Chants since Seth Lancaster hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give CCU a 17-16 win over ULM on April 29 of last season.
Saturday’s walk-off win is the third last at-bat win for the Chants this season, as CCU posted back-to-back walk-off wins versus Indiana (March 3) and Wake Forest (March 5).
The Chants are now 18-4-1 overall, 5-0 in Sun Belt play and have won each of their last five games.
Skeels’ (4-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) walk-off home run highlighted a four-hit day, while designated hitter Parker Chavers (1-for-4, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, run) also had a two-run home run in the win. Outfielder Jake Wright (2-for-5, 2 RBIs, run) had two RBIs in the three-hole, while Cory Wood (0-for-0, 3 BB, RBI), Cameron Pearcey (0-for-3, BB, RBI, run, SB) and Zach Biermann (2-for-5, 2B, RBI) all added one RBI apiece for the game.
For Troy, two players in Dalton Sinquefield (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) and Sadler Goodwin (3-for-4, 3B, BB, 3 RBIs) combined for five of their 10 base hits and six of their seven RBIs in the loss.
The decision went down to the bullpen as both teams used four pitchers in the contest.
CCU’s Alaska Abney (1-1) picked up the win, as he inherited one runner in a tie ball game in the eighth and went on to allow just one walk and strike out three over 1.2-scoreless innings.
Troy’s Lance Johnson (1-1) was handed the loss, as the right-handed pitcher gave up two runs on two hits in the ninth inning.
The two teams opened the game with some early scoring, as Troy took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out RBI single from Goodwin only to see the Chants plate two runs in the bottom half of the frame on back-to-back RBI singles from Wright and Biermann to take a 2-1 lead.
The Trojans tied the score up with an RBI ground out in the top of the second, yet the home team in Teal answered again with two runs in the bottom of the inning with an RBI bases-loaded walk by Wood and an RBI fielder’s choice ground out by Pearcey to put the home team back in front at 4-2.
Troy retook the lead two innings later, as the Trojans scored four runs in the fourth on a pair of RBI singles and a two-run triple from Goodwin to put the visitors in front at 6-4 midway through the fourth.
Coastal scored the next three runs of the contest, as Wright recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth before Chavers hit a two-run home run in the fifth to give the home team back the lead at 7-6 after five innings of play.
The home run was Chavers’ team-high sixth of the season.
Troy knotted the game back up again in the top of the eighth on a walk, single and ground out to put the score at 7-7.
After Abney stranded Troy’s go-ahead run on base in the eighth and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, which included two strikeouts, the game would remain tied at 7-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Biermann started the inning with a rocket off the wall in right field for a lead-off double.Kieton Rivers attempted a sacrifice bunt, but the pinch runner was thrown out at third on a heads-up play off the mound by the Troy pitcher.
With one out and Rivers on first, Skeels hit the 0-1 pitch deep to left field to give the Chants’ their fifth-straight win.
Coastal (18-4-1, 5-0 Sun Belt) will go for the sweep of the Troy Trojans (10-13, 0-5 Sun Belt) tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET.
