“Killer B’s” Lead Chants to 12-9 Win Over No. 19 Campbell

CONWAY, S.C. – For the second time in as many weeks, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took down a top-25 nationally-ranked team in midweek action, as CCU defeated the No. 19 Campbell Fighting Camels 12-9 in a slugfest that saw seven home runs in the contest.

With the win, the Chants improved to 10-5 on the season, while the loss dropped Campbell to 12-3 on the year.

Part of Coastal’s “Killer B’s” lineup in Zack Beach, Derek Bender, and Caden Bodine combined for three home runs and 10 RBIs to help the home team power past the Camels, who hit four home runs of their own.

Beach (2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 runs) blasted two home runs, both in the same inning, to become the third Chanticleer this season to hit two home runs in the same game. He also became the first Chant to hit two home runs in the same inning since Michael Paez belted two home runs in the fourth inning of a 17-5 win over Stetson on March 25, 2016.

Also providing some offense for the Chants was Bender (1-for-3, HR, BB, 3 RBIs, run), whose three-run home run over the 20-foot batter’s eye in center field in the third inning extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 consecutive games, while Bodine (0-for-2, 2 SF, 2 RBIs) drove in two RBIs on two sacrifice flies.

On top of that, nine-hole hitter Ty Dooley (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, run) had two base hits and drove in two RBIs while getting the start at shortstop.

Campbell matched the Chants blow-for-blow in the home run department, as shortstop Bryce Arnold (2-for-4, 2 HR, BB, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) hit not one but two home runs, while outfielders Tyler Halstead (2-for-4, HR, HBP, BB, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) and Lawson Harrell (1-for-4, HR, BB, RBI, run) each had one home run in the loss.

Picking up the win for the Chants on the mound was sophomore Matthew Potok (1-0), as the righty, which was limited to a pitch count on the designated staff day, threw 3.0-hitless innings with two walks and one strikeout in his third start of the year.

Holding on to the win for the Chants out of the bullpen was Teddy Sharkey (4), as the junior came in with the bases loaded in the seventh and quickly got two outs to get out of the jam with no damage done. He then pitched around a single in the eighth and threw a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save with three strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work.

Campbell started Hunter Loyd (1-1) was roughed up in the loss, as the righty gave up nine runs, five of which were earned, on six hits, three walks, and just one strikeout over 2.2 innings of work.

The Fighting Camels were able to stay in the game with the long ball and 4.0-scoreless innings from reliever Aaron Rund, who struck out six and allowed just one hit and one walk from the fifth inning on.

What started out as a pitcher’s duel over the first few innings blew open in the bottom of the third, as the Chants scored nine runs on six hits and one error, including three home runs, to pull out in front at 9-0 after the first three innings of play.

An error on a dropped pop-up in the infield started the third-inning barrage, as Beach hit the first of his two home runs in the inning over the boardwalk in right field to put the home team up 2-0.

A single and two walks later, Bodine hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Dooley and push the lead to 3-0.

The very next batter doubled the Chants’ lead, as Bender hit a massive home run to straightaway center field, a three-run shot to extend the lead to 6-0 with no outs in the inning.

After a strikeout, a Nick Lucky double, and a Graham Brown single, Beach belted his second home run of the inning off the top of the 20-foot batter’s eye in center field and into the palm trees to put the home team on top 9-0 heading into the fourth inning.

The ball continued to fly out of the park in the next half inning, as the Camels hit back-to-back home runs, a two-run shot from Arnold and a solo home run off the bat of Harrill, to get on the scoreboard and cut the lead to six at 9-3.

After Campbell added an RBI double from Jarrod Belbin in the same inning to close the gap to 9-4, the Chants got one run back in the bottom half of the fourth on another sacrifice fly by Bodine.

The scoring did not stop there, however, as Campbell continued to swing a hot bat, pushing across five more runs in the top of the fifth, highlighted by home runs from Halstead and Arnold, as well as an RBI single by Belbin, to pull within one run at 10-9 midway through the contest.

The Chants answered yet again, this time with the help of three walks and a two-run single to center field by Dooley to pick up some breathing room at 12-9.

The rest of the night belonged to the pitchers, as Coastal’s Davis Tyndall (1.1 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) and Sharkey combined to strand six Campbell runners and strike out four over the final three innings, while Campbell’s Rund allowed just two runners on base and struck out six Coastal hitters over the home team’s final three at-bats.

Campbell stranded 13 runners on base in the loss, compared to the Chants’ two base runners.

The Chants hit .500 (6-for-12) with runners on base and .667 (4-for-6) with runners in scoring position for the game.

Coastal will open Sun Belt Conference play this weekend at James Madison on March 17-19 in Veterans Memorial Park in Harrisonburg, Va.

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