SAN MARCOS, Texas - Seventh-seeded Georgia Southern softball saw its 2019 season come to a close in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championships, falling 2-1 to sixth-seeded Coastal Carolina in first round action on Wednesday morning at the Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas.

The Eagles finished the season at 23-28 overall after playing their way into the conference tournament by winning five of its last six games. Georgia Southern also fell to 0-5 all-time in Sun Belt Tournament play, though four of those five losses - including today's - have been one-run defeats. Coastal Carolina (36-19) moves on to face third-seeded UTA later Wednesday.

Georgia Southern started off well as Ellington Day hit the first pitch from Coastal Carolina hurler Kaitlin Beasley-Polko off the left center field wall for a double. Day was caught off of second, however, two batters later on Hannah Farrell's shot deep in the hole at short. Shelby Wilson followed with a single, but Beasley-Polko escaped the first with no damage, even though the Eagles had three hits.

Coastal Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Abbey Montoya led off the inning with a walk, then an error on a sacrifice bunt put runners at the corners. Alexis Alvino broke from first on the next pitch, and the Eagles cut the throw down from second to try and retire Montoya stealing home, but Montoya was ruled safe. Georgia Southern starting pitcher Kaylee Ramos was able to get out of the inning without any further damage, even as the Chants had the bases loaded with nobody out.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Chelsea D'Avilar hit a two-out solo home run to right center to double the Chanticleers lead to 2-0.

Beasley-Polko did not allow an Eagle hit after the first until there was one out in the top of the seventh. Senior Macy Coleman drilled a shot to left field for her seventh home run of the season, the 40th of her four-year career and also a record-breaking 49th home run on the season for Georgia Southern. The 49 home runs eclipses the 48 hit by the 2012 and 2018 squads.
"That's a credit to this powerful lineup," Dean said about breaking the single-season home run record. "They keep barreling at balls and keep swinging at good pitches. I'm really excited that Macy [Coleman] was the one who did it."

The next two batters were retired by Beasley-Polko to close out the win. She hurled a four-hitter, walking two and striking out five in improving to 23-12 on the year. Ramos hurled a complete-game five-hitter for the Eagles, giving up two runs in six innings of work, walking four and striking out four.

"It just really comes down to timely hitting and executing," Georgia Southern Head Coach Kim Dean said about the game. "I really do think we had the girl at home on the first and third, but you can't go back, you can't change anything. You gotta fight against the score that's put on that board. Huge congratulations to our seniors, [Kaylee] Ramos threw a heck of a game, and obviously kudos to Coastal Carolina, who got the hits when they needed them. I told our girls that there's no reason to hang our heads. I'm extremely proud of them. We'll keep fighting and keep competing. Hail Southern!"

Georgia Southern says goodbye to six seniors - Coleman, Farrell, Wilson, Ramos, Macy Weeks and Logan Harrell - and returns 14 players for the 2020 season.