Tucker Frawley connects on a pitch
One final flicker of hope occurred for Columbia College during the top of the 9th inning in the first round of the NCAA Southeast Regional baseball tournament. Columbia, trailing by nine runs, managed two doubles in a row and added a run.
The flame was quickly extinguished, however, when Coastal Carolina’s shortstop flipped a grounder to the second baseman who turned and fired to first for the double play.
The Rooster's Nest never short on words
Game over. The Chants win 10-2, and move on to face the winner of East Carolina v. Alabama.
If the game one win was any indication of just how the Chanticleers fared this season, it was right on the money. It took a few innings to prove their dominance, but once Dock Doyle’s boys started to rally, the runs poured on heavy.
Days earlier, Doyle was awarded the Big South’s player of the year award, leading Coastal to another convincing conference title. His performance on the field Friday afternoon, then, was his encore.
Doyle started hot, knocking a single into center field in the first inning. The Chants did not score until Doyle’s next at bat in the third inning when he hit a sacrifice fly to deep left center field. The game was now tied 1-1.
Columbia had managed to get a run in the third inning when right fielder Mike Malfettone homered to right center. It was poetic justice for Malfettone as his position in the outfield is in close proximity to the “Rooster’s Nest,” a raised section of fan space where a healthy portion of Coastal students stood and watched the game.
Opposing team’s right fielders will be subject of much jawing over this weekend, and possibly into the next week’s second round. The “Rooster’s Nest” is the place to be for witty one-liners and well thought out criticism. It’s not an evil area, however, and it made the game more interesting.
Even Malfetonne joined the fun, responding to some fluffy questions from the student fans. “Yo Mike, you coming to Broadway tonight?” Turns out he couldn’t – Columbia was returning upstate after the game. “Hey Mikey, you need to talk to your pitching staff, they’re blowing the game for the rest of you.”
Then in the fifth inning, the Chanticleers pummeled pitches. It was Doyle that started the onslaught when he singled in a run to make the score 2-1. Then on a passed ball stolen base, the score became 3-1. The next pitch was to David Anderson – he crushed it over the right field wall.
The score stayed 4-1 heading into the 8th. Heading out of the 8th, it was 10-1. Hit after hit after error after error allowed the Chants to tack on the very comforting six extra runs.
As the fans in the Rooster’s Nest yelled “Mercy rule” and “How’d you guys like the weather around here? Because you surely must not like baseball that much,” Coastal’s #1 seed entering the tournament was proven.
Next game, Saturday at 7 p.m. See you on the Nest.
