CONWAY, S.C. — In a strong showing at the Conway Regional, Coastal Carolina’s Colby Thorndyke and Ty Dooley both knocked out home runs, while pitcher Cameron Flukey delivered an impressive nine strikeouts in their 10-2 victory over Fairfield on Friday night.
As the top seed, Coastal Carolina is now set for its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. They will face the third-seed East Carolina, which previously outplayed No. 2 seed Florida with an 11-6 win earlier in the day. On the other hand, Fairfield meets Florida in an elimination showdown slated for Saturday.
During the match, Flukey (7-1), showed remarkable endurance by conceding only two runs on three hits across seven innings. Coastal Carolina’s bullpen remained steadfast as Hayden Johnson and Jaxon Appelman pitched successive no-hit relief innings to secure the win for the Chanticleers, whose record now stands at 49-11.
The Chanticleers took an early lead when Walker Mitchell reached home after being hit by a pitch, then advancing on an error that allowed Blake Barthol to reach base. This initial score set the pace for Coastal Carolina’s dominance throughout the game.
Meanwhile, Fairfield, making just its third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2016, was unable to capitalize on its regular-season success in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, where it clinched the title five times over recent seasons.
The Chanticleers extended their lead to 3-0 as Wells Sykes hit an RBI single and scored on a Caden Bodine double down the right-field line in the second inning. The scoring continued with Mitchell and Barthol registering back-to-back RBI singles in a decisive four-run sixth inning, propelling them to an 8-2 advantage.
Fairfield’s starting pitcher, Ben Akelson (9-2), struggled on the mound, surrendering seven runs—three of which were earned—on six hits and securing six strikeouts over his 5 1/3 innings of work. Despite this, Fairfield fought back with Nolan Colby delivering a solo home run and Tyler Kipp adding an RBI single to their side of the scoreboard.
The regional outcomes thus far set the stage for a highly competitive weekend, as both Coastal Carolina and East Carolina look to advance in the tournament.