One bad inning haunts Cunningham, Coastal Carolina baseball in loss

Sometimes a “big inning” is all it takes.

Unfortunately for Coastal Carolina, it was on the wrong end of one Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State scored five runs on two homers off Chanticleers starter Alex Cunningham in the devastating fourth inning, and the Buckeyes held off No. 19 CCU for a 6-4 win at Springs Brooks Stadium.

The Chanticleers never managed to put up a big inning of their own Saturday. Coastal did score two runs in the third inning after a passed ball and Cameron Pearcey’s solo home run, but that was the most offense it would muster in a single frame en route to the loss.

“As far as me and how I feel about how I coached today, I didn’t do a very good job. Things that we didn’t do well are things that we should be doing well; it’s very frustrating. But it was a complete, total team loss. You have to give [the Buckeyes] credit; they swung the bat on us and got big hits when they needed it. They blew us up in that one inning and it really set us back,” said CCU coach Gary Gilmore, who is in his 27th year with the Chanticleers. “We had multiple opportunities to either tie or go ahead. Things that we pride ourselves on are baserunning and bunting, which I personally coach. Obviously I’ve done a terrible job, because we’re not very good at that stuff right this moment.”

Cunningham was successful early on as he didn’t allow a single hit through the first three frames and rang up three batters.

Then came the fourth inning.

After two walks and a strikeout, Cunningham gave up a three-run blast to Nick Sergakis, and Brady Cherry highlighted the huge frame with his first career homer, a two-run shot to left center to give Ohio State a 5-2 lead.

CCU came back, scoring a run in the sixth on Tyler Chadwick’s RBI groundout and another in the bottom of the eighth on Connor Owings’ RBI single, but that still left the Chanticleers short two runs that would never come. They did come close, however, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but pinch hitter Peyton Isaacson struck out to end the game.

“You just see how fast things can change, even with two outs and the game almost over. … We beat ourselves today,” CCU outfielder Billy Cooke said. “We put up 14 hits and we just left too many guys on. Early in the game we walked too many guys. I just think we beat ourselves; we definitely need to play a lot better.”

Cooke, Pearcey, Owings, G.K. Young and Michael Paez each had two hits to pace the Chanticleers’ offense, which outhit Ohio State 14-8.

Meanwhile, Gilmore has put a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Cunningham, who has struggled to get back in a groove in his first outings back since going down with a season-ending arm injury last year. In his first two starts, Cunningham (0-1) owns a 12.91 ERA as he has allowed 11 earned runs, seven hits and has walked six batters in 7 2/3 innings of work.

“If he doesn’t figure it out, I can flat out tell you right now – we can’t get to a regional or win one,” Gilmore said of Cunningham, who was 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA last year before his injury. “That guy was our Friday night guy. What was he, 7-0 or whatever, when he got hurt last year? That guy has to be our guy. Whatever it is, we have to coach him and figure it out because that guy has to be a dude for us.”

Cooke and his teammates aren’t discouraged, and will get back on the diamond Sunday for a 2 p.m. game as CCU hosts Duke.

“We just have to come out and be ready to play everyday; [Our mindset is] just going out there and keep on fighting,” Cooke said. “We’re going to keep battling, and we’re going to bounce back. We have a fresh start tomorrow.”

Gilmore – whose team had an uplifiting 5-4 victory over No. 4 Virginia last weekend – said the Chanticleers can’t stay down long as Duke is one of the tougher pitching teams they will lock up with this season, and is certainly not overlooking the Blue Devils. Starter Tyler Poole is expected to take the mound for Gilmore and CCU in that one.

“We’re going to need to play like we did against Virginia, because they’re going to pitch the daylights out of us,” Gilmore said of Duke. “They are going to be one of the best pitching teams in the country. Coach [Chris] Pollard has done an incredible job there; they have great arms and they know how to pitch. Offense will be at a minimum tomorrow; we better execute every little thing we need to, and hopefully we get a well-pitched game. It’s a big game for Tyler Poole; he needs to step up. He needs to be a six or seven inning guy. When we go out and have to [pull] our starters in the third and fourth inning, it really straps our bullpen … And that hurts us with where we’re at, at this point.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 9:05 PM with the headline "One bad inning haunts Cunningham, Coastal Carolina baseball in loss."