CONWAY, S.C. — East Carolina seemed poised to keep its magical postseason vibes alive on Saturday night in the all-important winner’s bracket game, but host Coastal Carolina just kept finding a way to answer, and eventually landed the knockout blow.
Former ECU transfer Colby Thorndyke hit two home runs – including a decisive grand slam in a six-run seventh inning – that catapulted the host Chanticleers to a key 18-7 victory inside Springs Brooks Stadium, putting them in the driver’s seat of the Conway Regional. The game was played in front of a stadium record crowd of 6,423 fans, with Coastal winning its 20th game in a row overall.
ECU led 5-4 going into the seventh, getting go-ahead home runs from Dixon Williams and Austin Irby in the fifth and sixth, respectively. But the homers – and moments that electrified the Pirate crowd on hand at the time – were long forgotten by the end of the night…