Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina
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CONWAY, S.C. (Interstat) — Old Dominion and Coastal Carolina close their Sun Belt series Sunday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium, with the Monarchs looking to take the series after a 6-3 win Saturday.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. The forecast calls for 75 degrees and rain.
Old Dominion (26-24) snapped a two-game losing streak with Saturday’s victory, evening the weekend set at one game apiece after dropping Friday’s opener 16-8. The Monarchs have shown resilience in close contests recently, posting a 5-4 mark in their last nine games decided by two runs or fewer.
Coastal Carolina (34-16) has been the Sun Belt’s most consistent team throughout the season but enters Sunday afternoon having dropped two of its last three. The Chanticleers’ offense erupted for 16 runs Friday but managed only three against Old Dominion pitching Saturday.
Players to watch
Old Dominion right-hander Ben Tanton has been dominant in relief. Over his last four appearances (Interstat) — all victories (Interstat) — Tanton has allowed two hits and no earned runs across 14 1/3 innings while striking out 19. He threw five shutout innings in Saturday’s win, striking out seven without allowing a hit.
Coastal Carolina right-hander Jaxon Appelman will likely be available out of the bullpen. After throwing three scoreless innings Saturday, Appelman has struggled in his last four outings, allowing 12 earned runs over 10 innings pitched.
Series recap
Saturday: Old Dominion 6, Coastal Carolina 3 (Interstat) — Tanton (5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 7 K) and J.J. Gatti (4 IP, 0 H, 3 ER, 6 K) combined on a three-hitter. Shortstop Will Johnson went 4-for-5 with two RBIs.
Friday: Coastal Carolina 16, Old Dominion 8 (Interstat) — The Chanticleers pounded out 17 hits. Ross Norman (4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER) took the loss.
Simulator projection
Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Coastal Carolina victory.
Upcoming schedules
Old Dominion: Hosts James Madison for a three-game series beginning Thursday.
Coastal Carolina: Hosts The Citadel on Tuesday before traveling to Louisiana-Lafayette for a three-game Sun Belt series starting Thursday.