CHARLESTON, S.C. – Brandon Sizemore doubled twice, homered and drove in four runs as the College of Charleston knocked off UNC Wilmington, 10-6, in college baseball action on Wednesday at Patriots Point.
The Cougars snapped a five-game losing streak to improve to 22-13. UNCW, meanwhile, fell to 21-13.
Kevin Decker (1-0) was credited with the win for Charleston. Decker, who carried an 8.79 earned run average into his second start of the season, allowed four runs on five hits and six walks while striking out four.
Sophomore starter Cameron Roth (0-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits. He didn’t walk or strike out a batter in three innings of work for UNCW.
Led by Sizemore, CofC battered five Seahawk hurlers for 16 hits. Cole Rakar also added three hits and scored three runs as the Cougars scored in seven of eight innings.
Junior Matt Holt was the only Seahawk with a multi-hit evening, going 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. Sophomore Cody Stanley extended his hitting streak to a career-long 10 games with his 10th home run of the season.
Things didn’t begin well for Roth, who was making his first career start, as the Cougars jumped on the sophomore for three runs on four hits. Clay McCord lashed a double to left to open the bottom of the first and scored on Joey Bergman’s single to the right side. Sizemore followed with another double to left to plate Bergman. The final run came across on a ground ball double play to short.
In the Seahawk second, Holt got two runs back with a bases loaded single to right that scored juniors Robbie Monday and Mike Rooney, both of whom reached on walks, to make it 3-2. Thielsen loaded the bases when he beat out an infield single to first.
CofC picked up an unearned run in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Rakar led off reaching safely on a throwing error that allowed him to move up to second. A wild pitch moved him to third where he scored on Hutson Dodd’s ground out to second.
In Charleston’s half of the fourth, the Cougars plated their second unearned run of the game to take a 5-2 lead against freshman reliever Tyler McSwain. The unearned run scored on junior Matt Holt’s second throwing error of the game. Holt charged a slow roller to third and his throw sailed up the first base line and carried to the wall alongside the dugout. Rakar scored on the play after reaching safely on an infield hit earlier in the inning.
The Seahawks threatened in the fifth putting runners on first and second on walks, but Decker settled down and retired Grayson Evans on a fly ball to center and Monday on a ground ball to end the inning.
Sizemore drilled his 15th homer of the season on a full-count offering from McSwain to give the Cougars a four-run lead, 6-2, in the fifth.
In the sixth, Rooney cut UNCW’s deficit in half, 6-3, with a RBI single to left center that scored freshman Andrew Cain. Cain singled to lead off and stole second. A ground ball out moved him to third. Holt knocked in Rooney with a single through the leftside with two outs to make it 6-4.
Freshman reliever Steven Davis failed to keep momentum on the Seahawks’ side in the sixth. A pair of singles put runners at second and third for Bergman, who Davis hit with a 2-2 fastball to load the bases. Sizemore capitalized with a ringing double to left that scored two off junior reliever Bryan Booth that doubled the lead to 8-4.
Stanley homered to deep right to lead off the seventh off reliever Corey Asher.
Again the Seahawk pitchers were unable to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard after scoring a run. In the bottom of the seventh, Booth issued a leadoff walk to Matt Mansilla and Rakar doubled to send him to third. Morgan drove in Mansilla with a sacrifice fly that also moved Rakar to third. Rakar scored CofC’s 10th run of the night on a ground out by Dodds.
Freshman Cameron Cockman, who replaced Holt in the field at third, drove in a run in the eighth with a fielder’s choice to bring UNCW within 10-6.
The Cougars continued their offensive assault on the Seahawks in the eighth with two more runs against relievers freshman Thomas Jones and sophomore Stephen Harrold to make the final 12-6.
Next up for the Seahawks will be a 2 p.m. start at Elon on April 19.
