Third-Seeded Coastal Downs Radford 5-2
Big South Championship First Round

ROCH HILL, S.C.--Steven Carter threw a complete game and struck out eight to lead third-seeded Coastal Carolina to an 8-2 win over No. 4 seed Radford Wednesday afternoon in Game 2 of the 2004 Big South Conference Baseball Championship at The Winthrop Ballpark. (Box Score)

Carter (11-2) didn’t allow a walk and scattered 11 hits in nine innings of work for the Chanticleers, who have won the past three Tournament titles.

Justin Tubb allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings and dipped to 4-9 on the year for Radford, which has dropped 11 consecutive Tournament contests dating back to the 1993 season (inlcuding three years when RU did not participate in the tournament and three years when there was no tournament).

The Highlanders (23-29) will meet top-seeded Birmingham-Southern (a 2-1 extra-inning victor over Charleston Southern earlier in the day) Thursday morning at 11:00 am while the Chants (37-20) advance to meet the winner of Wednesday night’s contest between Winthrop and UNC Asheville at 8:00 pm Thursday.

Chad Oxendine went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs for the victorious Chants, who outhit RU by a 13-11 count. Kellen Wohlford tallied three hits and stole two bases for the Highlanders.

Radford took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first inning (on an RBI single by Stuart Ritchie) and second inning (on a solo homer by Dean Altavilla). CCU tied things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth on run-scoring singles by Oxendine and Chris Raber, and grabbed a 5-2 advantage with three in the fifth. Brett Grandstrand doubled to score Jeremiah Grove from first with the eventual winning run, and doubles by Mike Costanzo and Brett Gordon plated Jon Foisy and Costanzo, respectively.

Oxendine’s two-run double was the biggest blow in the eighth, when the Chants added three insurance runs to complete the scoring.

POST-GAME QUOTES

COASTAL CAROLINA HEAD COACH GARY GILMORE

“As much as (Carter) didn’t have his stuff early on, he didn’t walk a guy. He wiggles out of jams with his good control. He still finds a way even if he doesn’t have his best stuff.”

“I thought the play of the game was Jon Foisy’s catch in the eighth. We get that and then come back with three runs for insurance.”

COASTAL CAROLINA STARTING PITCHER STEVEN CARTER

“I actually had pretty good stuff early on. My fastball had pop and I had a pretty good slider. Radford just came out and was aggressive in the first four innings.

“This is our final go-around in the tournament. We have four seniors who have been here and won three times. A fourth title would be icing on the cake.”

COASTAL CAROLINA CATCHER CHAD OXENDINE

“Earlier in the year, we would have one or two guys step up at the plate, but now we have five or six guys at a time stepping up with big hits for us.”

RADFORD HEAD COACH LEW KENT

“It always our game plan [to be aggressive]. We managed to get some hits off of [Steven] Carter, but he settled in. I had hoped we could run him out.”

“[Carter] just made pitch after pitch. It wasn’t a lack of what we were doing, it was what he was doing. When you have an opportunity with runners on, with a pitcher like that you have to take advantage of it.”