Coastal Carolina Claims Conway Regional Title with 1-0 Victory Over East Carolina
CONWAY, S.C. — In a tense showdown, No. 13 seed Coastal Carolina clinched the Conway Regional title with a narrow 1-0 win against East Carolina on Sunday, thanks to a late eighth-inning rally. Wells Sykes led off the inning with a crucial single, later advancing to score on a sacrifice fly by Sebastian Alexander.
This victory secures Coastal Carolina’s spot in the super regionals, marking the Chanticleers’ 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Notably, the team previously won the College World Series in its only appearance in 2016.
The game featured a classic pitching duel between Coastal’s Riley Eikhoff and East Carolina’s Bradley Zayac, with both hurlers keeping the scoreboard dry until the eighth inning. Eikhoff departed after issuing a walk on his 95th pitch, having given up five hits and three walks while striking out several key batters. Dominick Carbone relieved him and promptly struck out two batters, maintaining the deadlock.
Zayac, who pitched a career-high 89 pitches over 7 1/3 innings, was replaced after Sykes reached base. Sean Jenkins, the new pitcher for East Carolina, surrendered the decisive sacrifice fly to Alexander.
Carbone, now boasting a perfect 6-0 record this season, secured the win by striking out three of the final five batters faced. Coastal Carolina, which previously overwhelmed East Carolina 18-7 in a prior matchup, improves its record to 51-11.
East Carolina concluded its season with a record of 35-27, following a notable earlier victory over Florida. Despite 35 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and seven regional championships, the Pirates remain in search of their first College World Series berth.
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