CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College baseball dropped its series opener to No. 24 Coastal Carolina in a heartbreaker on Friday afternoon, as the Chanticleers' David Parrett hit a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth for an 8-6 win at the PC Baseball Complex.
PC (23-19, 4-12 Big South) and Coastal Carolina (28-13, 12-4 Big South) will meet for the second game of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. PC's Senior Day ceremony is slated for 1:45 p.m.
Tied 6-6 in the ninth, a hit-by-pitch with two away set up a two-strike home run from Parrett, giving the Chanticleers an 8-6 lead they would hold for the final score.
Hayden Deal (Newton, N.C.) took the hard-luck loss to move to 2-2. The sophomore pitched two scoreless innings before the home run, finishing with 2.1 innings pitched and two hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Brian Kehner (Marietta, Ga.) delivered a quality start, going six innings with three runs and seven hits.
Tyler Weyenberg (Marietta, Ga.) led PC with a 3-for-4 afternoon. Jay Lizanich (Greer, S.C.) posted two RBI and Cam McRae (Darlington, S.C.) extended his reached base streak to 25 straight games.
PC drew first blood in the opening inning as each team delivered blows back and forth. Weyenberg hit a leadoff single and took advantage of two wild pitches to reach third base with one away. Lizanich then hit a fly ball deep enough to score the centerfielder and give PC a 1-0 lead.
Coastal Carolina tied the game in the second, turning a leadoff walk into a 1-1 tie via a pair of singles and a sac bunt.
A Chanticleer sacrifice fly in the second gave Coastal the lead the Blue Hose answered with the help of another Weyenberg leadoff single. The sophomore stole second and came home on a Lizanich hit that hopped over the shortstop's glove for an RBI base knock. The play tied the game at 2-2 through three innings.
PC cashed in on two Coastal Carolina errors to score three in the fourth inning. A booted ball allowed Jacob Midkiff (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Ryan Hedrick (High Point, N.C.) to score before another Weyenberg hit scored Brandon Martin (Gray Court, S.C.) for a 5-2 Blue Hose lead.
The Chanticleers took a run back in the sixth on a Jack Curtis double and plated three runs in the seventh, all on a Casey Schroeder home run.
The Blue Hose tied the game in the seventh. Lizanich hit the first pitch of the inning into the left field corner for a double and eventually scored on a Hedrick bloop single to center, pulling PC even at 6-6.
Neither team scored in the eighth before the Chanticleers broke through in the ninth for the victory.
Lizanich started his 204th game on Friday, tying Gabe Grammer (2009-12) for the Presbyterian College Division I career record.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Coastal Carolina.... 011 001 302 - 8 11 3 (28-13, 12-4 BSC)
Presbyterian College 101 300 100 - 6 9 1 (23-19, 4-12 BSC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Coastal Carolina - MORRISON, Mike; HUNTER, Brock(6); HOLMES, Bobby(6);
BECKWITH, Andrew(8) and SCHROEDER, Casey. Presbyterian College - KEHNER, Brian;
THOMPSON, Russell(7); DEAL, Hayden(7) and McRAE, Cam.
Win-BECKWITH, Andrew(4-2) Loss-DEAL, Hayden(2-2) T-2:54 A-303
HR COASTAL - SCHROEDER, Casey (10); PARRETT, David (10).
Weather: 68, clear, wind SW 4 mph
