STANLEY JAMES FIELD | BAY MINETTE, Ala. - The Coastal Alabama - South Baseball team earned a split in a home-and-home series with the Jones College (Miss.) to begin the weekend, highlighted by a 25-15 offensive showcase in Bay Minette on Friday.
After falling 6-3 on the road in Ellisville, Miss. on Feb. 19, Coastal - South bounced back in a big way at home, erupting for 25 runs on 18 hits to secure the split. The overall record moves to 8-6 on the season with three non-conference games remaining ahead of the start of ACCC action.
Doubleheader Highlights
In the road matchup to open the quick two-game series, the Coyotes collected six hits in the 6-3 loss, allowing six unanswered runs to score during the latter part of the game. Despite Coastal's 3-0 lead entering the sixth inning, Jones College used late offense to pull away, grabbing their first lead of the game in the seventh and finishing with eight hits in the contest.
Jeffrey Diaz finished 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Noah Eady went 1-for-3 with a double. Eady's double was the lone extra-base hit of the game for the Coyotes. Meanwhile, Aiden Hughes and Clayton Kimball joined Diaz with RBIs in the loss. On the mound, Bryson Morman tossed five scoreless innings to open the game, allowing just two hits and striking out one, while the bullpen combined to allow six runs (three earned) off six hits. Jones College was led by Colton Smith on the bump, who finished with a complete-game performance.
The return game in Bay Minette on the following day turned into an offensive slugfest, with both teams combining for 40 runs on the afternoon. The Coyotes plated runs in every inning except the second and delivered a huge 13-run surge in the seventh frame to end the game early. Coastal - South finished with 18 hits in the win, while Jones College recorded 12 hits. The Coyotes also took advantage of six Bobcat errors in the lopsided victory.
The Coyotes' lineup produced throughout the order in the victory, consistently putting pressure on the Bobcats' pitching staff and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Coastal also drew multiple productive innings early before the late-game explosion sealed the win.
Grayson Roberson paced the offense with a 4-for-5 showing at the plate, driving in four runs and adding a walk. Aiden Hughes followed with three RBIs, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate, while Clayton Kimball and Jeffrey Diaz both joined Hughes with three RBIs apiece. Kennedy Leggett, Dylan Taft, and Noah Eady each recorded a pair of RBIs in the offensive shootout.
With the split, the Coyotes gained momentum heading into their next stretch of non-conference play after showcasing one of their most productive offensive performances of the season.
Tuesday Matchup in PCB
The 'Yotes are set to meet Gulf Coast State College (Fla.) next on the schedule, coming on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Panama City, Fla. First pitch for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE YOTES
For coverage of Coastal Alabama South Athletics, follow the Coyotes on social media at /CoastalAlabamaSouth (Facebook), @CoastalAL_south (Twitter), and @coastalal_south (Instagram), or visit the official home of the Coastal Alabama South Athletic Department at https://coastalcoyotessouth.com/index.aspx
