FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
CONWAY, S.C. – A sacrifice fly from freshman Scott Woodward (Markle, Ind./Norwell) in the seventh broke an 9-9 tie and a home run from junior David Sappelt (Saxapahaw, N.C./Southern Alamance) in the eighth gave the 20th-ranked Coastal Carolina University baseball team (15-2) a cushion in its 11-9 win over 25th-ranked Michigan (8-6) March 16. It was the seventh game of the Centex Homes Invitational at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field.Coastal jumped on the board in the first. Woodward opened the inning with a single, and then moved to second on a Sappelt bunt. Sophomore Adam Rice (Murphy, Texas/Elgin C.C.) singled home Woodward and was brought in on a home run from senior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill). Michigan would answer with three in the second on home runs from Derek VanBuskirk and Alan Oaks. In the third, Sappelt and junior Dock Doyle (Conway, S.C./Conway) opened the inning with singles and were quickly brought home by Rice’s fourth home run of the year.
Michigan cut the CCU lead to 6-5 in the fourth. Oaks brought in VanBuskirk with a single. Mike Dufek then would score on a groundout from Kevin Cislo. Coastal tacked on a run in the fourth as Woodward would score as Rice’s grounder was mishandled by Michigan’s Leif Mahler. The Wolverines would take the lead in the fifth, scoring four runs. With one out, Adam Abraham homered to left. Freshman Cody Wheeler (Spotsylvania, Va./Spotsylvania) walked VanBuskirk and Dufek and both would score on Oaks’ second home run of the day, giving the Wolverines a 9-7 lead.
Coastal started chipping away at the Michigan lead, scoring a run in the fifth inning. Senior Derek Martin (Barnwell, S.C./Barnwell) singled with one out. He went to second on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Rico Noel (Lawton, Okla./Lawton). Martin advanced to third on an infield single from Woodward and scored on a throwing error after a wild pitch by Nate Recknagel.
In the seventh, junior Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) opened the inning with a single to left field. Junior David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) then brought him in with a double to the right field gap. Martin sacrificed Anderson over to third and Woodward brought him in with a sacrifice fly to center. Sappelt added a home run in the eighth for the 11-9 final.
While Coastal had 11 runs and 14 hits, the story of the game was the relief pitching. Senior Joey Haug (Holt, Mo./Maple Woods C.C.) struck out three and gave up just one hit in two innings for his first win of the year. He also got out of a first and second, no-out jam in the sixth. Haug got Zach Putnam to pop out and struck out Abraham and VanBuskirk. Junior Pete Andrelczyk (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Twp.) earned his third save of the season by striking out two and not allowing a hit in his two innings of work. Sophomore Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla./Santa Fe Catholic) started the game for Coastal, giving up six hits and five runs in four innings. McCully struck out a pair and walked three Wolverines.
Michigan’s Ben Jenzen started the game, but gave up six runs in two innings. Mike Wilson was tagged with the loss, but he struck out four in 4.1 innings.
Rice drove in four runs for Coastal, while he joined five other Chants with two hits apiece. For Michigan, Oaks was 3-for-5 with five RBI.
Coastal will head to Clemson, S.C., Tuesday, March 18 for a midweek game with 18th-ranked Clemson. Game time is at 7:15 p.m.
