CONWAY, S.C. — For the first seven-plus innings at Springs Brooks Stadium Thursday night, things were not going in favor of No. 14 Coastal Carolina.

Trailing 6-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, Coastal (39-11, 21-4 SBC) flipped the script and strung together an improbable rally, fueled by Blake Barthol's two-run homer and a go-ahead two-run single later in the frame to cap a four-RBI night for the junior second baseman.

The Chants scored seven runs to erase a five-run deficit and eventually defeat ULM 8-6 in a Sun Belt Conference matchup. CCU sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and scored all seven runs off four different ULM pitchers.

ULM jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first and tacked on three more in the fifth. Domenico Tozzi put Coastal on the board with a solo homer in the fifth before the Chants erupted in the seventh.

Barthol led the Chants offensively, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Wells Sykes and Caden Bodine each drove in a run during the decisive seventh inning.

Hayden Johnson (4-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief, while Dominick Carbone picked up his fifth save by striking out the side in the ninth. Scott Doran and Carbone combined to hold the Warhawks (21-28, 7-18 SBC) to just two baserunners over the final two innings.
 
NOTEBOOK
Seventh-Inning Surge: Coastal's seven-run outburst in the seventh was its highest-scoring inning since scoring eight in the 11th inning at James Madison on April 26. The Chanticleers had just three hits through the first six innings before exploding for four in the seventh, including Barthol's ninth homer of the season.
Never Give Up: The come-from-behind win was the Chants largest since April 1, 2023, when they trailed Georgia State by an 8-0 margin after three innings and battled back for a 10-8 victory. 
Barthol Breaks Out: Barthol posted his second four-RBI game of the season and his go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh gave Coastal its first lead of the night.
Bullpen Lockdown: After starter Riley Eikhoff allowed six runs over five innings, Coastal's bullpen of Johnson, Doran, and Carbone combined for four shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out eight.
Clutch Defense: Coastal turned a key double play to end ULM's first-inning threat and stranded seven Warhawks on base, including two in the seventh just before the Chants mounted their comeback.
Hit By Pitches: Colby Thorndyke was hit twice in the game and has combined with Walker Mitchell to be hit 29 times collectively.
Standings Implications: With the win, Coastal improved to 21-4 in Sun Belt play and maintained its lead atop the conference standings starting the penultimate weekend of the regular season.
Up Next: The Chanticleers and Warhawks will do it again Friday at 6 p.m. ET inside Springs Brooks Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets now! All three games in the series will air on ESPN+, the Chanticleer Sports Network or fans can listen via the Chanticleer Mobile App.