CLINTON, S.C. ?
Redshirt-senior Jared Combs drove home six of Presbyterian College's seven runs
as the Blue Hose defeated No. 19 Coastal Carolina 7-5 Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Hose improve to 10-30 on the season and 5-17 in Big South Conference play.
Combs put PC on the board in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer. Andrew
Williams led off the inning with a single to center and moved to second on a
wild pitch. Mack Hite walked on four straight to put runners on first and
second. However, Williams was picked off for the first out.
Cory Lyda
singled to right to have runners on the corners. Then, on a 1-1 count, Combs
launched his sixth round-tripper of the season over the left field fence for a
3-0 lead.
Jesse
Harmon continued to keep the visitors at bay through the first two innings, but
Coastal Carolina cut the lead to two, 3-1, in the third off a sacrifice fly.
However, that was all that the Chanticleers would get off Harmon for much of
the rest of the day.
The score remained at a 3-1 advantage for PC until the bottom of the seventh.
After the
first two batters were retired, Caleb Brazell earned a walk after working back
from a 1-2 hole.
Williams
singled to center as Brazell raced to third. Hite reached on a fielding error,
which scored Brazell and kept the inning alive for head coach Elton Pollock's
team.
The error would prove to be costly for the top-20 team as the Blue Hose loaded
the bases when Cory Lyda walked on after having a full count.
Combs strode to the plate and took a ball on the first pitch. He then doubled
to left field which cleared the bases. At that point, PC took a 7-1 advantage
heading into the eighth inning.
The
Chanticleers started to make a comeback, scoring two in the eighth. The Blue
Hose tried to add to the 7-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth but could not.
Gabe
Grammer came in to relieve Harmon on the mound. After a lead-off single and a
wild pitch, he recorded the first out of the inning with a groundout to Williams.
He then struck out a batter for the second out. However, back-to-back singles
plated two runs and pulled the Chanticleers within two, 7-5.
Pollock
went to the bullpen, bringing in Andrew Foushee to pitch. After tossing two
straight balls to begin his pitching stint on the mound, he rocketed the third
pitch into the strike zone that David Anderson hit to right field for the final
out.
Harmon
(3-4) went eight innings and gave up three runs on seven hits to earn the
victory. He walked two while striking out six. Foushee earned his first save of
the year with the one-out effort in the ninth.
Anthony Meo
(5-2) worked 6.2 innings and took the loss. He gave up six runs on six hits.
For the
game, Coastal tallied five runs on 10 hits with one error. PC notched seven
runs on eight hits.
The win marks the first one over a top-20 team for the Blue Hose since moving to Division I.
The Blue
Hose return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m., in the final game of the series
against Coastal Carolina. Prior to the game, there will be a ceremony honoring
the PC seniors. That will start at approximately 12:45 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early
for the ceremony.
