Nick Chigges struck out 12 over seven innings and became the winningest pitcher in College of Charleston history, and Chris Campbell recorded his 300th career hit with a three-run homer as the Cougars opened its three-game Southern Conference series with an 11-3 win over Appalachian State before 416 at Patriots Point Field on Friday.

With the win, Charleston improved to 22-8 overall and 6-1 in league play.  The Mountaineers, who lost for the first time in nine games, fell to 19-12 and 7-3 on the season.  Game two of the series is Saturday at 1:00.

Chigges, a senior, improved to 5-0 on the season and 25-4 in his career passing Scott Oliver on the school's all-time wins list.  Oliver posted a 24-19 record from 1996-99.  Chigges, who came within one strikeout of his career-high 13 strikeout performance in an 11-0 complete-game blanking of Ball State in last year's Lexington Regional, allowed three runs, none earned, on seven hits over seven innings.

Campbell, a senior, became the first Cougar to collect 300 career hits with his seventh inning three-run homer to left center that gave Charleston a 7-3 lead.  It was his fifth of the season. 

The Cougars grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead on Michael Harrington RBI triple to center and an RBI single to left by Ben Lasater.  The Cougars stretched their lead to 4-0 in the second inning on run-producing singles by Gabe Marchant and Stuart Haywood.

The Mountaineers cut the margin to 4-3 in the fourth on an RBI single by Tom Prosser and a two-run single by Chris Baker.

The Cougars added four runs in the bottom of the eighth.  Oliver Marmol had a two-run double, Campbell an RBI infield single and Michael Kohn scored on a balk for the final margin.

Matt Andress (3-3) suffered loss surrendering seven runs on seven hits over the first 6 2/3 innings.