No. 16 Coastal Walks-Off Troy to Take Series

Saturday, March 23

Conway, S.C.

1:00 P.M.

Troy University

10-13, 0-5

Coastal Carolina

18-4-1, 5-0

Troy

Coastal Carolina

No. 16 Coastal Walks-Off Troy to Take Series

3/23/2019 5:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina catcher Kyle Skeels blasted a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to walk-off Troy and clinch the series with a 9-7 win Saturday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium.

After a lead-off double put the pressure on in a tied ninth inning, Troy (10-13, 0-5) was able to cut down the runner at third on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt before Lance Johnson (1-1) forced a foul out to make it two outs with a runner on first. Skeels then stepped to the plate a sent everybody home with a towering shot to left – he led all batters going 4-for-5 in the game.

The Trojans were able to tie things up in the top of the eighth then shut down a promising Coastal (18-4-1, 5-0) rally in the bottom of the inning. The Chants had the potential go-ahead run at third with only one out, when Rush Hixon dealt two big strikeouts to work out of the jam. Hixon was phenomenal out of the pen, working three innings and scattering two hits around six strikeouts with no walks.

Trailing 4-2 after three innings, the Trojans flipped the tables with a four-run fourth to retake the lead. Dalton Sinquefield and Drew Frederic hit back-to-back RBI singles, then Sadler Goodwin brought them both home with a stand-up triple down the right field line. Goodwin and Sinquefield both tallied multiple hits and drove in three runs in the contest.

Alaska Abney (1-1) earned the first win of his career by shutting down the Trojans in the final 1.2 innings of the game with three strikeouts. Troy rocked starter Austin Kitchen, plating six runs on eight hits in the first four innings of the game.

Quotable – Troy Head Coach Mark Smartt
"They're a good ball club and they took advantage of the opportunity. We did some good things; had the chance to take the lead late but couldn't get the big hit. All said and done, we were close but just not good enough."

Sound "Smartt" With Your Friends
The trio of Sadler Goodwin, Dalton Sinquefield and Rigsby Mosley have combined for 12 hits and have driven in eight of Troy's nine runs so far in the series.

Notable
• The last seven regular-season contests between Troy and Coastal have now been decided by three runs or fewer. Coastal has now taken the series from Troy in three straight years.

• Sadler Goodwin drove home two runs in the fourth inning on a stand-up triple, his first of the season. Goodwin's last triple came against Louisiana in the Sun Belt Tournament last season and also brought home two runs.

• Junior Dalton Sinquefield continued his good work at the plate, with yet another multi-hit game – his sixth in the last eight contests.

• The 0-5 start in league play Troy's worst since joining the Sun Belt in 2006 and since the 2002 Trojans started the Atlantic Sun slate 0-7.

Up Next
Troy will try to avoid being swept with a noon (CDT) start against the Chanticleers Sunday. The Trojans have yet to name a starting pitcher for the contest.