WILMINGTON, N.C – A five-run seventh inning by the home-standing UNC Wilmington Seahawks was the difference in the game, as the No. 29 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers fell on the road at UNCW 9-4 on Wednesday night in non-conference midweek action in Wilmington, N.C.
 
The big inning – four runs or more in an inning – was the first allowed this season for the Chanticleers.
 
The loss snaps the Chanticleers' winning streak at five games and puts CCU at 7-2 on the season. With the win, UNCW improved to 6-2 on the year.
 
For only the second time this season, the Chanticleers were outhit for the contest, as UNCW totaled 14 hits to the Chants' seven.
 
CCU also stranded 12 runners on base for the contest, nearly doubling up UNCW's seven left on base.
 
Seven different hitters had one hit on the night for the Chanticleers with designated hitter Tyler Johnson (1-for-2, 2B, RBI), outfielder Billy Underwood (1-for-1, 2B, BB, HBP, CI, RBI), catcher Derek Bender (0-for-2, HBP, RBI), and outfielder Austin White (0-for-4, BB, RBI) all driving in one RBI apiece.
 
Junior shortstop Eric Brown (1-for-4) extended his hitting streak to a team-leading eight-straight games with a single in the fifth.
 
The Seahawks had five players with two hits or more in the win led by first baseman Ron Evans (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, run) and his game-high three base hits and two RBIs, while catcher Matt Suggs (1-for-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, run) drove in a game-high three RBIs.
 
Making his first collegiate start, redshirt freshman Riley Eikhoff was solid over the first four innings, giving up just one run on three hits and one strikeout, while throwing two 1-2-3 innings.
 
However, the CCU bullpen which has been off to a great start to begin the season, struggled on Wednesday night, giving up eight runs on 11 hits, three walks, two hit batters, and two strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
 
Reliever John Kelly (0-1) was handed the loss, as he gave up two runs on one hit and one walk in the sixth inning.
 
On the flip side, the UNCW bullpen held Coastal to just two runs on three hits, three, walks, and five strikeouts over 5.1 innings with Carter Holjes (2-0) picking up the win with 2.0-scoreless innings.
 
The Chanticleers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second as first baseman Zack Beach led off the frame with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After an Underwood walk and an infield single by Matt McDermott loaded the bases, White drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Beach from third to put the Chants in front.
 
After Eikhoff stranded a runner on third in the bottom half of the second, the Chants doubled the lead with a two-out walk to Beach followed by a two-out double down the left-field line by Johnson to push the Chants' lead to 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third.
 
UNCW got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, using a pair of singles, a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly to the fence in left field to cut the Chants' lead in half at 2-1 after four complete innings.
 
Looking to get that run back in the top of the fifth, Nick Lucky and Brown ripped back-to-back singles to open the inning. After a fly out and walk to pinch-hitter Cooper Weiss to load the bases, the next two Chant hitters would both be hit by a pitch to push across two more runs and put the visitors on top 4-1.
 
The Seahawks matched the Chants with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth on a hit batter, single, sacrifice fly, and wild pitch to close the gap to 4-3 heading into the sixth inning of play.
 
Neither team would score in the sixth, with CCU's Jacob Maton pitching around a walk and a single with the help of Bender behind the plate, as he threw out a would-be base stealer in the inning.
 
However, in the seventh inning, after Coastal stranded two runners on base in the top half of the inning, the Seahawks used small ball to score two runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 5-4 lead on a pair of infield singles surrounding a walk, a CCU throwing error, and a sacrifice bunt.
 
The Chants were unable to get out of the inning, as a two-out, two-run double from Suggs and an RBI-single from Chris Thornburn capped the five-run inning and pushed the home team's lead out to four at 8-4 with two innings to play.
 
UNCW manufactured an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning to put the final score at 9-4.
 
Coastal (7-2) will remain on the road to take on No. 21/24 North Carolina (8-1) for a three-game series this weekend, March 4-6, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Game one of the weekend series is set for Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
 
For complete coverage of CCU baseball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBaseball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.