PHOTO GALLERY
CONWAY, S.C. - Georgia Southern Baseball entered the ninth inning trailing Coastal Carolina 6-2, but banged out three runs to cut the lead to one. A long fly ball to center was hauled in for the final out, stranding the tying run at second and handing the Eagles a 6-5 loss to open this weekend's series with the Chanticleers. Saturday's second game of the series starts at 2 p.m. on the Grand Strand.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Rodney Hennon
"We fought back well, but you make it tough on yourselves when you spot a guy like Cunningham a lead. I thought we made him work for the seven innings that he was out there and we got into the bullpen.
Brian Eichhorn did an outstanding job out of the pen to give us a chance. We had some good at bats late, but we've got to play good baseball for all nine innings. We made too many mistakes, too many free bases in the third inning and that was the difference in the ballgame. We've got to be able to put together a complete nine innings tomorrow."
SCORING PLAYS
Bot 1st - GS 0 - CCU 3 - Coastal Carolina got three runs in the first inning of three hits and a walk to spring out to an early 3-0 lead.
Top 2nd - GS 1 - CCU 3 - With one out in the second,
Mason McWhorter got the Eagles going with a solo home run to left. He smashed the 3-2 pitch into the CCU bullpen for his third home run of the year.
Bot 3rd - GS 1 - CCU 6 - Coastal responded with three more runs in the third inning to post a 6-1 lead. The Chanticleers were the beneficiary of two Eagle errors in the frame as the home side chased starting pitcher
Jacob Condra-Bogan from the game.
Top 4th - GS 2 - CCU 6 - Ryan Cleveland opened the fourth with a leadoff home run to right which cleared the fence for his ninth big fly of the season.
Top 9th - GS 5 - CCU 6 - Three-straight hits in the top of the ninth including a leadoff double by McWhorter kick started a three run ninth inning for the Eagles. RBIs from
Jacob Greene,
Steven Curry and
Mitchell Golden kept the Eagles in the inning and put the tying run on second base with two outs.
Jordan Wren lofted the 1-1 pitch to deep center, but the Coastal fielder hauled in the catch with his back to home plate for the final out.
GAME NOTES
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Mason McWhorter led the Eagles with a 3-for-4 day with two runs scored. It was his second three hit game in the last three contests.
- Starting pitcher
Jacob Condra-Bogan was handed his first loss of the season, falling to 4-1 on the year. He went two-plus innings, failing to record an out in the third inning.
- Relief pitcher
Brian Eichhorn pitched effectively, working around three hits in his four innings of work, striking out four with just one walk.
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Steven Curry extended his hit streak to five with a pair of base knocks. That streak is the longest active run on the team.
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Ryan Cleveland went 2-for-4 on the day with his ninth home run of the season. The senior is now just three home runs shy of Craig Cooper for 10th place on the career home runs chart at Georgia Southern. Cooper has 43 career home runs to Cleveland's 40.
NEXT UP
The Eagles and Chanticleers return to the diamond on Saturday for game two of the weekend series. First pitch it set for 2 p.m. at Springs Brooks Stadium in Conway.
Evan Challenger will go for the Eagles on the mound.
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