WAKE FOREST, N.C. – The Coastal Carolina baseball team saw Wake Forest hit three home runs in a six-run sixth inning to down the Chanticleers 8-4 in a non-conference midweek tilt in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Wednesday night.
 
The loss dropped Coastal to 13-10-1 overall and 2-3 on the current road trip, while with the win, the Demon Deacons improved to 19-6 overall and 16-4 at home on the season.
 
With the win, Wake Forest snapped CCU's eight-game winning streak in the series with the Chants last losing to the Deacs back in 2017.
 
The two teams combined to use 17 pitchers, as the Chants used eight arms, while Wake Forest threw nine pitchers.
 
CCU's offense, which put a runner on base in eight of the nine innings, was led by shortstop Eric Brown (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, run) and outfielder Nick Lucky (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, run) with two hits each, while second baseman Matt McDermott (1-for-4, run, SB) and outfielder Austin White (1-for-4, run) each scored a run.
 
The Deacs were led offensively by catcher Brendan Tinsman (3-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) who had two extra-base hits, while both Danny Corona (1-for-3, HR, HBP, 3 RBIs, run) and Tommy Hawke (2-for-4, HR, RBI, run) each had a home run in the win.
 
Coastal left eight runners on base, while Wake Forest stranded five on the pond.
 
The Chanticleers looked to score early in the contest by putting a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings of play, yet failed to get the big hit to push across a run to send the game to the fourth tied at 0-0.
 
After only recording a bunt single over the first three innings, the Demon Deacons strung together three consecutive hits in the bottom of the fourth inning to plate two runs and take a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning.
 
The Chants did not trail for long, as the visitors got on the scoreboard in the next half inning as Brown had an RBI-ground-rule double to plate McDermott from second and cut the Deacs' lead to one at 2-1.
 
With runners on second and third, a passed ball allowed White to streak home from 90-feet away to tie the score up at 2-2 before a ground ball to the right side of the infield off the bat of Lucky drove in Brown from third to give the Chants a 3-2 lead midway through the fifth frame.
 
Relievers Matt Joyce and Teddy Sharkey threw a shutdown-inning in the bottom of the fifth, sending the Demon Deacons down in order before the Chants looked to add to their lead in the top of the sixth.
 
In the sixth, Coastal used two walks and a wild pitch to put runners on second and third, yet saw a pop-out on a bunt attempt and fly out to right field in foul territory end the threat with the Chants stranding both runners on base in the inning.
 
Failing to plate an insurance run hurt the Chants, as in the bottom half of the sixth inning Wake's Tinsman hit a solo home run into the trees behind the fence in right field to tie the game up at 3-3.
 
Three batters later, following a single and a walk, Pierce Bennett lined an RBI-single to center field to give the Deacs the lead back at 4-3.
 
However, the scoring did not stop there for the Demon Deacons, as Corona hit a three-run home run which was followed by a solo home run to right field by Hawke to cap the six-run inning sixth inning and push the home team's lead to five at 8-3.
 
The Chanticleers refused to go away, as in the top of the seventh Lucky hit a solo home run down the left-field line, his second home run of the season, to cut the Wake Forest lead to four at 8-4.
 
With the help of not one, but two double plays, CCU's Keaton Hopwood faced just three hitters in the seventh, while fellow right-hander John Kelly stranded a runner in the eighth to keep the home team from adding to the lead in the late innings.
 
The Chants went down in order for the first time of the game in the ninth to drop the road contest.
 
Coastal will wrap up its eight-game road trip with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Arkansas State (5-17, 0-6 SBC) on April 1-3. Friday night's series opener will begin at 7 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.