Coastal Carolina powers past UNC Wilmington, stays alive at Conway Regional

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - Coastal Carolina’s baseball team will live to play another day at the Conway Regional.

After falling to Rider in extra innings on Friday, the Chanticleers responded with a 12-2 win over UNC Wilmington on Saturday. The loss eliminates the Seahawks from the NCAA Tournament.

Coastal was lifted early by a Graham Brown grand slam that made it a 4-0 game in the top of the first inning.

The Chants then rattled off two more runs with a Caden Bodine home run in the fourth along with three more runs in the sixth and an additional pair in the top of the eighth.

Coastal tacked on its final run in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch.

UNC Wilmington was able to get on the board in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of unanswered runs, including a home run from Alec DeMartino.

Coastal pitcher Riley Eikhoff also went the distance in the win, throwing a complete game and tallying six strikeouts. It also marked the first complete game from a Coastal pitcher in the NCAA Tournament since the program won the national championship in 2016.

Bodine, meanwhile, had a team-high four hits on the day along with two RBIs.

Duke and Rider will face off in Saturday’s later matchup, with the loser facing Coastal at noon Sunday in an elimination game.

The Duke-Rider winner, meanwhile, will play the winner of the elimination game at 6 p.m. Sunday.

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