2025 Men's College World Series: Coastal Carolina pull off 7-4 win over Arizona
The 2025 Men's College World Series kicked off in full force on Friday, as No. 13 Coastal Carolina earned the first win of the tournament with a 7-4 victory over unseeded Arizona. The Chanticleers, who came into this tournament with the best record in Division 1, overcame a 4-4 tie with a few clutch doubles in the bottom of the eighth to keep their 24-game win streak alive.
It was a quiet first inning for both teams. But in the second inning, Coastal Carolina had a huge opportunity, loading the bases off a muffed infield catch by Arizona pitcher Owen Kramkowski. Outfielder Wells Sykes took advantage of the situation, hitting a two-run RBI single to put the Chanticleers on the board first.
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After a slow third inning, Arizona came alive at the top of the fourth, starting with shortstop Mason White getting a solo homer. Then, the Wildcats got two back-to-back doubles, sending catcher Adonys Guzman home to tie the game.
Coastal Carolina was able to escape the inning without any further damage. And then, at the bottom of the fifth, the Chanticleers got a few players of their own on base. A well-hit single from right fielder Blagen Pado sent second baseman Blake Barthol home to take a 3-2 lead.
Coastal Carolina is known for being hit by pitches — the team has been hit by an NCAA-leading 170 pitches this season. But in the sixth inning, it was Arizona who took advantage of getting hit: Chanticleers reliever Cameron Flukey, who came into the game after four innings, hit three batters in that inning alone, allowing the Wildcats to fill the bases and eventually get a game-tying run before getting an out. Then, a grounder from second baseman Garen Caulfield sent White home to give Arizona the 4-3 lead.
But then, in the bottom of the sixth, Chanticleers catcher Caden Bodine hit in a game-tying run to bring things to 4-4.
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The two teams stayed locked in a tie for the next two innings off some strong defensive play, with Flukey finally settling in to easily dispatch the Arizona offense. In the bottom of the eighth, with the Chanticleers sitting on two outs, it looked like the game would come down to the final inning. But Coastal Carolina's offense broke through with a series of doubles.
It started with Sykes getting on second off a hit that landed right on the line; left fielder Sebastian Alexander then hit an RBI single to send Sykes home for a 5-4 lead. Another huge double from Barthol sent Alexander and Bodine, who was intentionally walked, home to give the Chanticleers a 7-4 lead heading into the ninth.
Arizona wasn't quite done yet, as designated hitter Andrew Cain earned a double with some bold running and first baseman Tommy Splaine got a base hit. But a key double play ended the game and sent Coastal Carolina to the winners' bracket.
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The Chanticleers will play the winner of Oregon St. vs. Louisville, while the Wildcats will try to survive against the loser of that matchup. The tournament is double-elimination, setting up a must-win game for Arizona.
The men's College World Series has one of the most entertaining side plots of any of the NCAA championship: The Jell-O shot competition at Rocco's, where patrons compete annually to see which school's fans can eat the most Jell-O shot.
LSU, who notoriously consumed 68,888 Jell-O shots in 2023, is off to an early lead, eating 943 shots during the first day of the CWS. However, Coastal Carolina and Murray State are also on a roll, consuming 836 and 805, respectively.
All three schools are on pace to break LSU's 2023 record.
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