ROCK HILL, S.C. - Fifth-seeded Coastal Carolina scored eight runs in the eighth inning, downing No. 4 Charleston Southern, 8-0, Thursday, May 12 in the teams' first game of the Big South Softball Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting. CSU will next play against Presbyterian College Thursday at 8 p.m.

Coastal Carolina (24-31) advances to play No. 1 Radford, while CSU (24-32) now faces an elimination game Thursday night against No. 3 Presbyterian.

Both Kimberly Hobbs (13-14) and Coastal's Ashley Bagwell (14-13) took four-hit shutouts into extra innings. The Chanticleers exploded for eight runs on six hits in the eighth inning for the decisive win.

Erin Kegley went 2-for-4 for CSU, while Jana Matthews and Melissa Adams singled. The Buccaneers had their scoring chances, but left nine runners on base.

Coastal Carolina had three players register two hits apiece in Brooke Donovan, Cacia Pierre and Michelle Evans. Sarah Maples hit a grand slam and Stacy Snellings added a three-run homer.

Ashley Pisone started the eighth with a single. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Donovan. Winans received a free pass. Pineda singled to shortstop, and Pisone scored on a throwing error. After CSU walked Daigle to load the bases, Maples hit a grand slam for a 5-0 lead. Snellings hit a three-run home run following a pair of Coastal base hits, and Coastal had an 8-0 edge.

CSU went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth, and Coastal claimed the 8-0 shutout.

Two out of the first three Buccaneers reached in the first inning, as Lombard walked to lead off. Kegley hit an infield single with one out. Bagwell retired the final two batters to end the scoring chance.

Hobbs struck out the side during the third frame, bringing the CSU offense back to the plate. Kelleher walked with two outs in the bottom half of the inning. Kegley singled to shortstop, moving pinch runner Courtney Konyk to second base. A groundout left two runners stranded, and the game remained scoreless.

Coastal went three-up, three-down in the fifth, as Hobbs induced three foulouts. Adams led off the bottom half with an infield base hit. Tedesco reached on a fielder's choice, as Adams was erased at second. Lombard popped to second and Kelleher flied to center for the third out.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Donovan singled to center. Winans sacrificed Donovan to second. Hobbs quelled the rally by getting Pineda to fly to center.

Matthews gave CSU a two-out base runner with a single to center. Steele then walked, bringing Holdsworth to the plate. Holdsworth fouled out to close the inning.

Coastal lined out twice to start the seventh, and Pierre slashed a double to left center. Maples recorded a single, putting runners on first and third. Hobbs got out of the jam, as Snellings flied out on a 3-2 pitch.

Tedesco reached base with one out, as she was hit by a pitch. Lombard sent a roller to short which got under the glove of Winans. Kegley ended the inning with a deep flyout, sending the game into extra innings at 0-0.

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The Buccaneers will now face Presbyterian at 8 p.m. Thursday night, with the winner moving on to another elmination contest Friday at 10 a.m.