CCU takes 5-game winning streak into 12-day road trip that includes Clemson, Oregon St.
Coastal Carolina walked off for the second consecutive game Tuesday and added a blowout win Wednesday for a two-game sweep of Wake Forest at Springs Brooks Stadium, giving the Chanticleers a five-game winning streak heading into a big 12-day road trip.
On Tuesday, Parker Chavers laced a single into right field with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Chanticleers a 10-9 win. On Wednesday, the Chants scored nine runs in the first two innings as five CCU players had multiple hits in the game.
With the temperature below 40 degrees Tuesday, Chavers ended a four-hour, 30-minute contest after Cory Wood walked, Zach Biermann lined a one-out single to right and sophomore Jared Johnson, who hit a two-run walk-off single in the ninth inning against Illinois on Sunday, was intentionally walked.
“Both teams were playing through it and it’s tough to play in, but it’s always a lot better when you’re on the winning side of it,” Chavers said. “It’s definitely exciting. It’s a big win against a good ACC school. Once we gave up the lead early we battled back and forth all game and once we got to extra innings I think we were confident we could get it done.”
Biermann and Chavers had five hits apiece Tuesday, Chavers contributing the game-winning hit, a two-run home run and two runs scored, and Biermann knocking two doubles for two RBI.
Coastal (12-2), which is ranked between 12th and 21st in five national college baseball polls, raced out to a 5-0 lead with five hits in the second inning, including run-scoring doubles by Scott McKeon, Wood and Biermann.
Wake Forest (8-6) answered with six in the third off relievers Nick Parker and Davie Inman, benefiting from four singles, three hit batters and a walk in the inning.
The Chants took a 9-6 lead with four runs in a fourth inning that included a double by freshman Bradley Riopelle, who was getting his second start at catcher, Cameron Pearcey RBI single, Biermann RBI double and Chavers homer that he sliced off the foul pole 320 feet down the left field line.
The Chants were held scoreless on four hits over the next seven innings and the Demon Deacons tied the game with a run in the fifth and two in the seventh on shortstop Patrick Frick’s first homer of the season to left field.
The Chants had a great opportunity to end the game in the ninth inning after Chavers lined a single to left field and stole second with no outs, and pinch-hitter Turner Buis walked.
But McKeon struck out, Wake second baseman Jake Mueller made a diving catch on a soft liner off the bat of Keaton Weisz, and following a walk to Jake Wright to load the bases, Wood grounded out.
Coastal threw six pitchers from its bullpen Tuesday, including starter Austin Kitchen, who threw a hitless inning. Jay Causey and Trevor Damron threw three innings apiece and Dylan Gentry threw two hitless innings to get the win, so the bullpen is somewhat taxed with five games in six days beginning Tuesday, considering Coastal also previously played three in four days prior to Tuesday.
Pitchers who were scheduled to have bullpen sessions got game action instead in some instances, as the Chants used five more pitchers Wednesday..
“Guys that it’s their normal bullpen day, they’re going to get game action because we have two midweek games, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Coastal coach Gary Gilmore said. “We’ll be very conscious with pitch counts and things like that.
“I know when I played I liked that way more than the bullpen, to get out there and throw 15 to 18 pitches in competition, it really kept me a lot sharper than the lack of accountability in bullpen, so to speak. Hopefully that will help a couple of these guys.”
Coastal won seven straight games to start the season before dropping a pair of games to N.C. State and College of Charleston, who are a combined 20-3.
“There was no panic,” Chavers said. “We’ve been playing good baseball and we just got back to controlling what we can control and doing our jobs and we know the wins will take care of themselves.”
The Chants rebounded this past weekend by handing No. 25 Illinois its first loss of the season, 11-3, defeating Connecticut 10-7 and scoring three in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Indiana 6-5 on Johnson’s single.
The Chants flew to Washington on Wednesday for a 12-day road trip that begins with the Seattle Baseball Showcase from Friday through Sunday at T-Mobile Park.
They will test their mettle against San Diego (9-4), which defeated California-Riverside 31-3 Tuesday, Washington (7-2), which won the Conway Regional hosted by CCU last season, and defending national champion Oregon State (10-1), which is again ranked among the top few teams in the nation.
“We’re going to play three good teams,” Chavers said. “Playing Washington again after playing them here last year is going to be exciting, then obviously Oregon State. They are going to be tough games. We’re excited to play in a big league ballpark and go to a different part of the country and play those teams. It’s going to be a good test and I think we’re ready for it.”
Coastal travels from Washington to in-state rival Clemson for a game next Wednesday before heading to Louisiana-Monroe for a three-game weekend series that begins Sun Belt Conference play.
“I think it’s going to present some opportunities for some older guys to maybe room with some younger guys, hang out with some people some more than we normally do when we’re here,” Chavers said. “We’re going to be gone for almost two weeks. It’s going to be a lot of meals, a lot of down time together, which I think will be good for us. We’re already a close-knit group I feel like, so I think this trip is only going to help us.”
Gilmore believes the trip will be beneficial for the team in a variety of ways after playing 12 of its first 14 games at home.
“It’s definitely one of the longest continuous stints we’ve ever had, but it’s good. This team really needs this really bad,” Gilmore said. “We need to grow up. We’re very immature as a group of people, and how to play the game and how to be accountable to one another and things like that, so this will be a good opportunity for us.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 8:45 PM.
