Mobile, AL (WBTW) — No. 19 Coastal Carolina baseball got a strong start on the mound from junior pitcher Anthony Veneziano and scored a season-high eight runs in one inning to rout South Alabama 14-5 on Sunday afternoon at Stanky Field in Mobile, Ala.
The Sun Belt series win is the third of the season for the Chants. CCU has now won 19-of-24 conference series matchups since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2017.
With Coastal’s eight-run sixth and four-run seventh, the Chants have now recorded 19 “big innings” on the season and are 13-1-1 in games in which they score four runs or more in an inning in the contest.
Veneziano (4-1) struck out eight batters over 5.1 innings on the mound to earn the win. The tall-lefty allowed just two runs on two hits and four walks on the day.
USA starter Caleb Yarborough (2-4) was roughed up for seven runs, three of which were earned, on six hits, two walks and five strikeouts over 5.2 innings in the loss.
The Chants’ offense recorded 14 runs on 14 base hits, as 10 different players registered a hit in the win. With their three home runs in the contest, the Chants are now 11-2 on the season when hitting two or more long balls in a game. Coastal hit three home runs in game one, two in game two and three more home runs on Sunday for a total of eight home runs over the weekend.
Cameron Pearcey (3-for-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 runs, SB), Zach Biermann (1-for-4, HR, SF, 2 RBIs, run) and Mike Koenig (2-for-3, HR, 2B, BB, SF, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) each had a home run on the day, while Scott McKeon (1-for-4, BB, 2 RBIs, run), Jake Wright (2-for-6, 2 RBIs) and Kyle Skeels (1-for-4, 2B, SF, 2 RBIs, run) all had two RBIs apiece in the road win.
The Jaguars’ offense had five runs on seven hits, including a double by Kaleb DeLaTorre (1-for-4, 2B). Michael Sandle (0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 RBIs, run), Wells Davis (1-for-3, BB, RBI) and Ethan Wilson (2-for-4, 2B, BB, RBI, run) combined to drive in four RBIs on the day.
Veneziano was able to use the strikeout to get out of trouble early, as he struck out four batters over the first two innings to pitch around three walks and take advantage of a 4-6-3 double-play to keep the Jaguars off the scoreboard.
However, in the bottom of the third, the Jaguars broke through and used a one-out single, followed out by a double and an RBI ground out to third base to put the home team on top 1-0 heading into the fourth inning.
While Veneziano continued to mow down the South Alabama hitters, including sending down nine-straight hitters from the third to the sixth inning, the offense took advantage of a walk and a Jaguars fielding error to blow the game open in the top of the sixth.
After a walk, an error and another walk loaded the bases to start the frame, Wright lined a two-run single to center field to score Koenig and Cory Wood to give the Chants a 2-1 lead.
Senior outfielder Kieton Rivers kept the scoring going for the men in black with an RBI single to left to plate Pearcey and push the lead to 3-1.
Following a hit batter, Skeels sent a ball to the warning track in right-center field for a sacrifice fly to increase the Chants’ lead to 4-1.
Two batters later, McKeon roped a single through the left side of the infield to score two more Chants and stretch the lead out to 6-1.
Koenig, who led off the inning with a walk, capped off the same inning with a two-run home run to deep left field, his third of the season, to give the Chants a huge 8-1 lead halfway through the sixth inning.
The Jaguars tried to claw their way back into the game in the bottom of the sixth, as the home team got an RBI single up the middle and scored a run on a CCU throwing error to cut the Chants lead to five at 8-3 with three innings left in the contest.
Coastal got the runs back and more in the top of the seventh, as Chavers and Skeels picked up back-to-back RBI doubles, while both Biermann and Koenig added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to plate four more Chant runs and push the visitors lead out to 12-3.
After South Alabama plated two runs of its own in the bottom of the seventh, the Chants’ Pearcey lined a solo home run out of the ballpark in left field to lead off the top of the eighth while Biermann added a huge shot to right field to start the ninth and put the score at 14-5.
The Chants pitching staff combined to strike out 12 batters compared to just four walks.
Coastal (22-11-1, 8-4 Sun Belt) will continue its road trip at nationally-ranked NC State (29-4) on Wednesday, April 10. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET in Raleigh, N.C.
