CHARLESTON – Charleston Southern baseball's opening day was a successful one as they opened their time under Head Coach Karl Kuhn on Friday evening with a 13-3 run rule victory over Miami of Ohio. Each of the squad's Preseason All-Conference honorees paved the way for the team's victory as Chandler Tuupo provided the walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 8^th to clinch the season opening victory for the Bucs while Nick Timpanelli picked up the win on the mound twirling a terrific six frames of baseball.
 
The teams went back and forth early in the game while the Bucs' offense got out to an immediate start to begin the season in the bottom of the first. Anthony Sanguedolce led off with a triple with Kaden Smith scoring him on a single through the left side to put CSU ahead 1-0. The lead didn't last for long as Miami of Ohio hit a two-run home run in the top of the second to claim the lead at 2-1.
 
Aidan McAskie hit a home run to left center to bring the ballgame back even at two apiece in the bottom of the fourth. The Redhawks again were able to respond quickly as a double by Ignacio Gonzalez put them back ahead in the top half of the fifth. After this, it was all Buccaneers as they went on to shut the door on the Miami offense, retiring their final nine batters and CSU scoring 11 unanswered.
 
In the fifth, a double steal scored Blake Edgmon and a Kaden Smith sacrifice fly brought Lucas Pringle home and allowed CSU to regain the lead at 4-3. In the 7^th and 8^th, the Charleston Southern offense came to life tallying nine runs between the two frames. During the time, Pringle, Anthony Sanguedolce, Tuupo, AJ Martin and Kain Collins all provided RBIs.
 
The 8^th began with Nathan Martinez drawing a walk and then getting advanced to second following a groundout. Pringle and Sanguedolce each drew a free base off a walk and hit by pitch to load the bases. Collins blasted a single to score Martinez and Tuupo ended the night under the lights with a grand slam to right field to cap off the evening as he cleared the bases and pushed it to a 10-run margin.
 
Nick Timpanelli earned the win as he tied his career-long for innings pitched with 6.0, allowing a pair of earned runs and four hits while striking out six batters from the Redhawks. Tyler Henshaw came on in relief for him, picking up a save and throwing just as well of an evening with 2.0 shutout innings of perfect baseball recorded as he did not allow a single runner on the basepaths.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, there were nine different Bucs that had a hit with six of them making their Charleston Southern debut including Sanguedolce who medically redshirted the 2024 season. Each of the players on the roster from a year that had a hit, finished with two including Sanguedolce, Tuupo, McAskie and Pringle. Smith, Collins, Martin, Martinez and Edgmon each had a hit a well in the contest. Sanguedolce led the team in runs scored with three while Tuupo had the team-high in RBIs with five.
 
The Buccaneers will return to Nielsen Field to continue their season opening weekend on Saturday. Charleston Southern will welcome the University of Chicago Illinois to campus for games on Saturday and Sunday.