CLEMSON, S.C. – Vanderbilt fell to Coastal Carolina, 13-3, in the first game of the Clemson Regional on Friday afternoon.
The Chanticleers scored all 13 of their runs in three innings, putting up five runs in both the second and eighth innings.
Back-to-back hit-by-pitches to start the top of the second led to a two-run single for Coastal Carolina to open the scoring. The Chanticleers loaded the bases with two outs and doubled their lead to 4-0 with a second two-run single. The inning continued with an RBI double to give Coastal Carolina a 5-0 lead.
Coastal Carolina tacked on three more runs on three hits in the top of the fourth to go up 8-0.
The Dores got on the board with a solo homer by Alan Espinal in the bottom of the sixth, his team-leading 13th home run on the season.
Alex Kranzler tossed 3.1 scoreless innings in relief for Vandy with career-high six strikeouts before Coastal hit a two-run homer to right in the top of the eighth to lead 10-1.
Coastal Carolina pushed three more runs across in the eighth to go up 13-1.
Vanderbilt scored twice on three hits in the bottom of the eighth. RJ Austin singled and scored all the way from first on a double by Espinal. Espinal moved up to third on a single by Matthew Polk and came home on a throwing error to make it a 13-3 game.
Vanderbilt will face either Clemson or High Point in an elimination game at 11 a.m. CT Saturday.
