WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Coastal Carolina pounded out 14 hits, including five doubles and a home run, while Matt Eardensohn improved to 4-0 in his first start to lead the 17th-ranked Chanticleers (24-11) to a 9-2 victory at Wake Forest (14-20) Tuesday night at Couch Ballpark.
Five Chants had two hits apiece including Kieton Rivers, Seth Lancaster, Kevin Woodall Jr., Keaton Weisz and Cameron Pearcey. Eardensohn, who has been CCU’s top middle relief pitcher this season, pitched 4.1 innings and allowed just three hits and one run with three strikeouts.
Coastal used doubles by Pearcey and Rivers in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead. Lancaster followed a two-run, 395-foot blast to right field. Lancaster now has 11 home runs this season and it was his sixth round-tripper in the last eight games.
In the fifth, Coastal loaded the bases twice and would score five runs for an 8-0 cushion. Cory Wood was hit by a pitch, Rivers singled and Lancaster walked. Woodall plated Wood with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Zach Biermann followed with a two-run double. Pinch hitter Matt Beaird also doubled and Parker Chavers walked to load the bases once again. Weisz dumped a single into center to score both Biermann and Beaird, who just beat the throw to the plate.
Wake Forest broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Shane Muntz was hit by a pitch and Michael Ludowig singled. After a foul out, pinch hitter, Zach Seal lined an RBI double down the third base line to make the score 8-1. The Deacons would go on to load the bases, but Jay Causey induced an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.
The Chants regained an eight-run lead in the top of the seventh as Chavers doubled and scored on a Weisz single up the middle to give CCU a 9-1 lead.
Wake Forest took advantage of a CCU error in the ninth to provide the 9-2 final score. The Deacons put runners on second and third after the error and Chris Lanzilli had an RBI ground out.
Carter Back (0-3) suffered the loss as he allowed five hits and three runs with five strikeouts in three innings.
Coastal Carolina will continue its five-game road swing with three games at Troy this weekend. All three games are scheduled to be on ESPN3.