CHARLESTON, S.C. (CSU) – Charleston Southern's Zack Hagaman came on strike out two in
the top of the ninth and then scored the game-tying run bottom of the inning to
lead the Bucs to a 7-6 come-from-behind-win over visiting UNC Wilmington on
Wednesday at CSU Ballpark.
UNCW took a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth
before Hagaman came in and pitched out of a jam to minimize the
damage.
Hagaman doubled into the right-field corner to lead off the inning
and later scored on a squeeze as Jaren Suster laid down a perfect bunt single up
the first base side to keep the pressure on Seahawks' reliever Ricky
Holden.
Bucs' centerfielder Bobby Ison scored the winning run after drawing a
walk and taking third on SUstar's bunt and another walk by John Faircloth. Ison
scored the game-winner as Alex Thomasovich took a fastball off the shoulder from
Holden with the bases loaded to give CSU a walk-off one-run win.
Hagaman came
through both ways in the ninth to move the Bucs to 2-0 in one-run games this
season.
"Zack is a special guy and it's hard to be a two-way guy," CSU head
coach Stuart Lake said following the win. "He has the makeup to (play both way).
He came up big for us today."
The game wasn't back and forth throughout. UNCW
jumped to a 4-0 lead and hit four home runs, including two by Michael Bass. Bass
hit the second pitch of the game off the scoreboard in left to give the Seahawks
a 1-0 lead.
Bass hit his second home run in the second to move the lead to
4-0.
For the second time in the first week of the season, the Bucs settled
down behind a quick relief appearance by Tory Schroff. He came on to strike out
five and allow one earned run in 4.1 innings of work to give CSU a chance to
climb back in it after the hot start by the Seahawks.
"Schroff was really
good and gave us a chance to settle in," "We've got to get going offensively
earlier in the game. We got started too late. Our bullpen gave us a chance to
get back in it and we executed offensively."
The Bucs would scrap back in the
game with two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie the game at
5-5.
Hagaman had his first RBI of the game on single to get the Bucs offense
started in the fourth.
CSU took advantage of free base runners in the fifth
to tie the game. Robbie Street had an RBI walk and Thomasovich had the first of
two RBIs getting hit by a pitch in the game.
Ison doubled off the wall to get
the bats going in the inning. He was 1-for-2 with three walks and two runs
scored.
Bass led UNCW going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two
RBIs.
Faircloth and Hagaman each had two hits, along with Chase Shelton for
the Bucs, including an RBI single in the fifth.
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Charleston
Southern's weekend series has been adjusted due to rain in the forecast. The
Bucs will host Marist on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 p.m.
Sunday's single game is still set for 1 p.m.
