Charleston Southern University’s baseball team continued its strong start to the season by defeating Elon University 12-7 on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep. The Buccaneers now hold a 7-0 record, marking the best opening in the program’s history.
Elon began the game with early momentum, scoring one run in the first inning and four more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Charleston Southern responded in the third inning when Blake Edgmon and Kain Collins drew walks and Caden Wolfley singled to load the bases. Chandler Tuupo then hit a double that cleared the bases, breaking the school’s career RBI record previously held by Jordan Haar, who had 147 RBIs from 2002 to 2005. Tuupo now holds 149 career RBIs. Later in the same inning, Alex Marot scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Martinez, reducing Elon’s lead to 5-4.
Elon added another run in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 6-4. However, Charleston Southern answered with seven runs in their half of the inning. Tuupo hit a three-run home run to give his team a 7-6 advantage. Tyler Wright contributed with a two-RBI single while Ethan Reader and Edgmon each drove in runs as well.
Both teams scored once more in the fifth inning, setting the final score at 12-7.
Tuupo finished with three hits and six RBIs, leading Charleston Southern offensively. Wolfley and Edgmon each collected two hits while Wright added two RBIs. The Buccaneers recorded twelve hits overall and drew six walks during the game.
On the mound, Matt Gallant started for Charleston Southern and pitched three innings before Hunter Porter entered from the bullpen. Christian Krause was credited with the win after allowing one earned run over two innings of work. Aydan Smith closed out the game by pitching four innings of relief with five strikeouts and only one hit allowed.
Charleston Southern is scheduled to play again on Wednesday, February 25 against UNC Wilmington at Nielsen Field @ CSU Ballpark. The game will begin at 4 p.m., with live coverage available on ESPN+.
