CONWAY, SC: Coastal Carolina baseball had the home field, momentum, and plenty of confidence heading into Monday’s regional final versus Duke. Unfortunately for the Chanticleers, the Blue Devils had Alex Gow, and he was all they needed. The graduate transfer silenced a record crowd of 5,102 at Springs Brooks Stadium to propel his team to a 12-3 blowout of CCU in the NCAA Conway baseball regional. The victory sends Duke to the Super Regionals this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a date with fellow ACC member UVA. Coastal’s season comes to an end with a record of 42-21.
Gow, who was working on two days rest, was dominant in four innings on the mound. The right-hander from California held CCU to just one hit while striking out a season-high seven batters. He kept Coastal’s potent offense at bay while his teammates pounced on five Chanticleer pitchers at every opportunity.
Duke (38-22) recorded six extra-base hits on the night and hit .438 with runners on base. Conway Regional Most Outstanding Player MJ Metz led the way with a home run, a double, and three RBIs. Metz, a transfer from tiny Trinity University in Texas, earned the MOP award despite playing on an injured knee, which prevented him from playing in the field and severely hampered his ability to run the bases. He also had help from fellow power-hitter Alex Stone, who uncorked a three-run home run in the third to provide all the offense the Blue Devils would need. All told, Duke hit twelve home runs in their four-game stay in Conway.
Coastal was handcuffed all night by the Duke pitching staff, which kept the Chanticleers off the scoreboard until their last at-bat. The Chanticleers, who were one of the top-15 offenses all season, batted just .156 for the game and a paltry 2-for-11 with two outs. However, all three of CCU’s runs were scored with two outs in the ninth.
