Angeli’s RBI single, Jones’ four stolen bases lift Seahawks over No. 12 Coastal Carolina
Scalf: “It’s another step in the right direction for us.”
Noah Powers/The Seahawk
Greg Jones (2) rounds third base during UNCW’s matchup against Coastal Carolina at Brooks Field on March 26, 2019.
Coming off a sweep of Towson last weekend, UNC Wilmington (15-10) looked to keep that success alive against regional foe No. 12 Coastal Carolina.
For the second time this season, the Seahawks welcomed the Chanticleers (18-6-1) to Brooks Field. The first meeting on Feb. 19 went in favor of Coastal 10-5.
After two scoreless innings to open the bout and a Chanticleer score in the top of the third, junior infielder Cole Weiss tripled to right field to bring fellow junior Jackson Meadows in for a score.
A strong defensive stand in the top of the fourth followed by an RBI homer from Kep Brown put the Seahawks up 3-1. The Chants answered in the top of the sixth, bringing in two runs to tie it at 3-all. UNCW, once again, gained the advantage by way of a Greg Jones RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, bringing Brooks Baldwin in for the score.
On its last leg, Coastal relied on senior Kieton Rivers.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Rivers hit an RBI single to bring junior Morgan Hyde in for the game-tying run. 4-all.
In the bottom of the ninth, lead-off hitter Noah Bridges drilled a single to centerfield. After pinch hitter Broadus Roberson was caught out on a pop fly, sophomore Doug Angeli stepped up to the plate.
With two balls and two strikes, Angeli singled through the right side to bring Bridges in for the score and the walkoff win.
“Noah [Bridges] did his best to get to third,” said Angeli. “All I had to do was touch it and put it in play. That’s all I really did.”
Mr. Steal Your Base
Seahawk fans have grown accustomed to Jones’ ability to sprint from base to base. The sophomore entered tonight’s contest ranked 26th nationally in stolen bases with 14 on the season.
After adding four more to his resume tonight, Jones jumped to 10th in the nation, tied with UAB’s Tyler Tolbert with 18.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to get to the next base to be in scoring position for the next guy up,” Jones said about his mentality when stealing. “It’s primarily just me doing my job.”
Bridges and Baldwin also had a stolen base apiece, tying the UNCW single-game stolen base record at six.
“When [Jones], [Bridges] and Jackson Meadows get on base, I think it gets our team excited,” said head coach Mark Scalf. “They understand when those guys get on we’ve got a chance to get somebody in the scoring position pretty quick.”
Do it again tomorrow
For the first time since 2017, the Seahawks will travel to an opponent whom they played at home the night prior.
UNCW hosted NC Central on April 7, 2017 before travelling to Durham to square off with the Eagles on April 8. The ‘Hawks will do the same with the Chanticleers tomorrow night.
“We just have to let [the energy] feed in,” said Angeli. “We’re playing good baseball, we don’t have to overthink it. Just keep doing our thing and we’ll be fine.”
Tomorrow’s matchup will see the Seahawks and the Chanticleers face off for the third and final time this season and will determine who wins this season’s series. First pitch in Conway, S.C. is set for 6 p.m.
Assistant Sports Editor Noah Powers can be found on Twitter @NoahPowersShwk. Any tips or suggestions should be forwarded via email to [email protected].
