CONWAY, S.C.? VMI sophomore hurler Chris Henderson allowed only one batter over the minimum through the first five innings before #20 Coastal Carolina exploded for eight runs on eight hits in the sixth inning to take control of the game and cruise to a 12-3 win in game three of the weekend series at Watson Stadium.
The Chanticleers (33-8, 11-1 Big South) secured the series sweep with starter John Mariotti (5-0) scattering four hits, leading to three runs, two earned, in seven innings of work. Henderson (4-2) was tagged with the loss, as he was charged with four runs on only four hits, as he pitched five-plus innings, notching four strikeouts while walking a pair.
Adam Vrable went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored from the ninth-spot in the order for the Chanticleers, while David Sappelt, Chris Raber and Tyler Bortnick each collected a pair of hits and two RBI, while Derek Martin drove home three with his two base knocks. For the Keydets, Chad Rice, A.J. Yoder, Shane Geisslinger and Jacoby Fields collected the four hits in the game.
Rice scored the first run of the contest after singling up the middle to leadoff the game, as Yoder doubled down the rightfield-line to give the Keydets an early lead for the second straight day. Henderson then allowed a one-out single to Dom Duggan in the bottom of the first, but Duggan was thrown out trying to stretch his bloop-hit into a double, as Eddie Van Es quickly scooped up the ball and threw out Duggan at second base.
Mariotti and Henderson traded zeroes from there, with each hurler allowing only a walk over the next four innings. That string ended in the top of the sixth inning, when Rice reached on a leadoff error by Martin, but the Keydets could make no noise as the score remained 1-0 headed to the fateful bottom of the sixth.
Bortnick led off the frame with his third home run of the season, knotting the score at one, as it marked only the second hit of the game for the Chanticleers. Vrable collected the first of his three consecutive singles, before Sappelt gave the hosts the 2-1 advantage on his triple to right-centerfield. A full-count walk issued to Duggan chased Henderson from the contest in favor of sophomore reliever Kevin Crum, who gave up back-to-back singles before walking Matt Rademacher to again load the bases in a 4-1 contest. After striking out Dock Doyle for the first out of the inning, Crum was chased from the contest after another set of back-to-back RBI singles, giving the Chanticleers a 6-1 advantage.
Corey Bachman then came on for his second appearance in as many days, and was able to escape the inning after giving up a leadoff single to Vrable, then inducing a sacrifice fly from Sappelt before getting a groundball from Duggan to cap the inning at 8-1.
The Keydets were able to answer quickly, with Thane Smith being hit by a pitch, before Fields collected his first base knock of the series, a single back up the middle. Geisslinger then beat out an infield single with two outs to plate Smith, while a throwing error on the catcher as he attempted to throw out Geisslinger allowed the junior to scamper to second base, with Fields scoring to make it an 8-3 contest.
The Chanticleers tacked on two more runs in the seventh, with Chris Raber hitting his League-leading 14th home run of the season to leadoff the inning, followed by Martin's RBI single that plated Doyle. The hosts then made it a 12-3 margin with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, when Tommy Baldridge's hot shot got past Shane Geisslinger at second base with two outs, capping the scoring for the game.
The Keydets jump back into action on Tuesday evening, taking on VCU at The Diamond at 7 p.m.
