CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Wells Sykes singled leading off the eighth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sebastian Alexander and No. 13 overall seed Coastal Carolina beat East Carolina 1-0 to win the Conway Regional on Sunday.
Coastal Carolina (51-11) is making its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance as it heads to the super regionals. The Chanticleers won the College World Series in their only appearance in the event in 2016.
Coastal Carolina starter Riley Eikhoff and East Carolina’s Bradley Zayac were locked in a scoreless duel into the eighth inning.
Eikhoff left with one out after issuing a walk on his 95th pitch. Dominick Carbone came in and struck out Dixon Williams and pinch-hitter Alex Bouche swinging to keep it tied. Eikhoff allowed five hits and walked three.
Zayac (1-4) threw a career-high 89 pitches in a career-best 7 1/3 innings. He left after Sykes reached, moved to second on a flyout and third on a wild pitch. Sean Jenkins allowed Alexander’s sac fly.
Carbone (6-0) struck out three in getting the last five outs for the win.
The Chanticleers, who beat the Pirates 18-7 on Saturday, are 34-2 when scoring first this season.
East Carolina has made 35 NCAA Tournament appearances and won seven regional championships but never advanced to the College World Series.
The Pirates (35-27) eliminated the Florida Gators 11-4 earlier Sunday.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
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