LEXINGTON, Va.? Following a rainout on Sunday afternoon, Coastal Carolina took both ends of a Big South doubleheader on Monday afternoon at Patchin Field, taking game one by a 6-4 count in ten innings, before coming out victorious in a pitcher's duel in game two, 2-0. Coastal improves to 22-24 overall and 9-9 in the League with the wins, while VMI falls to 26-21, 7-14 in conference play.
The Keydets received fine pitching performances in both contests, but could not come up with the big hits when needed. In game one, senior J.J. Hollenbeck allowed three runs on six hits in eight innings of work, but saw reliever Ian Casher (2-1) give up back-to-back home runs in the tenth inning to take the loss. In game two, freshman Travis Smink (7-3) took the complete game loss, allowing only one earned run in nine innings on four hits, but was one-upped by Coastal freshman Bobby Gagg. Gagg (2-1) sat down the first 12 batters he faced and ended up facing only two batters over the minimum, giving up three hits while walking none.
“I thought we played good baseball today,” said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry. “Both J.J. and Travis threw very well today, I think this is the first time I've ever had a pitcher go for a complete game and take the loss. Game one was going to be determined by who made the least mistakes; we hit three line drives in the ninth right at people, then they came up and hit the two solo bombs to win it. In game two, it was two freshmen going head-to-head. It should've been a 1-0 game, but we had the tying run come up to the plate in the 9th, just couldn't get anything off their kid. But we played great baseball all weekend, it's just unfortunate we only got one win out of the series.”
In the day's opener, a solo home run from Tommy Baldridge led off the second inning to give Coastal a 1-0 lead. The Keydets answered in the bottom of the inning, as Chad Rice earned a leadoff walk, moved to second on a groundout by Jacoby Fields, moved to third on a single by Mike Roberts, then scored on another groundout, this time by A.J. Yoder.
Coastal took a 3-1 advantage in the third, as Tyler Bortnick led off the inning with a single to centerfield, followed by a walk issued to Chris Raber. A sacrifice bunt moved each man up 90 feet, while a groundout from Matt Sutton plated Bortnick. John Mariotti's double to the left-centerfield gap brought home Raber, giving the Chanticleers a two-run advantage.
VMI responded with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Robert Crumpler's sixth home run of the season led off the fourth, while Rice scored the tying run on a fielder's choice by Shane Geisslinger in the sixth. However, the Keydets left the bases loaded in that frame, three of the 11 men the Keydets would strand in the two-run loss.
Hollenbeck and Coastal reliever Travis Risser then settled in for the next few innings, trading zeroes in the seventh and eighth innings before Hollenbeck was lifted in the top of the ninth in favor of Casher. Casher retired the Chanticleers in order in the ninth, but wouldn't be so lucky in the tenth, when he gave up home runs to Adam Vrable and Sutton to lead off the tenth, giving the visitors a quick 5-3 advantage. John Phelps was brought in to relieve Casher, but walked the only two batters he faced, the first of which came around to score on a groundout later in the inning.
Risser (3-2) then completed his longest career outing, giving up the lone run he allowed in the tenth, as Fields scored on Yoder's single. Risser surrendered only three hits in 4.2 innings of work, earning the win.
Game two was a sub-two hour pitcher's duel between two freshmen hurlers. Smink ran into his only trouble early, as Vrable led off the first inning with a double before scoring on Brant Peacher's single to rightfield. However, David Sappelt was thrown out at the plate, as Robert Crumpler cutoff a throw from Klint Reed to gun the centerfielder at the plate.
The Chants added an unearned tally in the third inning, when Tyler Bortnick scored as VMI third baseman Kelly Sweppenhiser's throw from third base to home plate hit Bortnick in the helmet.
That was all the offense either team would muster, as the two rookie hurlers took over. Gagg was perfect through four innings, striking out three batters during that stretch, before an infield single by Crumpler broke the string. However he was retired two batters later on a double play, as Gagg faced the minimum through five innings. A single to centerfield by Chase Buchanan led off the sixth inning, while a single up the middle led off the ninth, as the only other marks against Gagg in the contest.
Meanwhile, Smink allowed one hit after the third inning, a double to lead off the ninth by Raber, while he worked around five walks during that stretch.
The Keydets return to action Wednesday evening, when they travel to Richmond to take on VCU at The Diamond in a 7 p.m. start.
