The Oak Island Loggerheads will get a chance to repeat as Old North League Coastal Division champions. <\/p>\n
A pair of local pitchers – Cole Barnes (UNC Greensboro\/Ashley) and Evan Coartney (Savannah State, Ga.\/South Brunswick) – combined on a four-hitter with seven strikeouts to lead Oak Island to a 3-0 road victory over the Cape Fear Ghost Crabs in a semifinal game Sunday at UNCW’s Brooks Field.<\/p>\n
The Loggerheads (16-15) will play at the regular season champion Sandhills Bogeys on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the championship game. <\/p>\n
Sandhills won all six regular season meetings, but Oak Island has made a habit of winning in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
After finishing with the worst regular season record in the division last summer, the Loggerheads reeled off three consecutive victories to claim the title. <\/p>\n
Now, they will look to repeat and advance back to the best-of-three East Regional Championship Series, which begins Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Barnes started and allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.93. Coartney took over and was just as dominant over the final four innings. <\/p>\n
Coartney was fired up coming off the mound after recording strikeouts to end both the seventh and eighth innings. He allowed a one-out double in the ninth, but got a ground out to end the game.<\/p>\n
\nHere is what @evancoartney2<\/a> had to say after tonight's victory pic.twitter.com\/wy7iEk92EZ<\/a><\/p>\n
— CoastalPreps – Tim Hower (@CoastalPreps) July 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n