Coastal Carolina Sinks Wake Forest Behind 7-Run Sixth

In front of the third-largest regular-season crowd in stadium history, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers turned a mid-game deficit into a statement victory. Behind an explosive 7-run sixth inning and a lights-out performance from the bullpen, the Chants outlasted Wake Forest 10-6 in a high-stakes thriller at Springs Brooks Stadium.

With two outs in the bottom of the second, shortstop Ty Barrango delivered a clutch bases-loaded single to right. The hit drove in Rex Watson and Walker Mitchell, giving Coastal Carolina an early 2-0 lead.

🆙✌️ pic.twitter.com/gfbPHiDbvS

— Coastal Carolina Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) March 10, 2026

Freshman left-hander Colby Richardson relieved starter Daniel Parker in the fourth. Parker finishes his day with two strikeouts and allowed no hits through 3.0 innings.

Facing a bases-loaded, no-out crisis in the fourth, Richardson staged an impressive escape act. Following back-to-back knocks by Conte and Miller, the right-hander froze Jimmy Keenan for a massive first out. Though Blake Schaaf managed to score Luke Costello on a groundout to Colby Thorndyke at first, Richardson escaped the jam by striking out JD Stein, stranding two runners to end the threat, allowing just one run.

Once again, Richardson allowed consecutive hits to start the fifth inning, but second baseman Blake Barthol did what he does best and recorded an unassisted double play for the first and second out. In the next at-bat, right fielder Costello hit a moon shot to left field to break the tie for his seventh big fly of the season, giving the Demon Deacons their first lead of the night, 3-2.

With two outs in the top half of the sixth, Chanticleer reliever Connor Kane had center fielder Javar Williams on a 1-2 count, but Williams recorded his second hit of the game on an infield RBI single that Barrango had no play on at shortstop. Jimmy Keenan scored from third to extend Wake Forest’s lead, 4-2

The Chanticleer offense erupted in the sixth, a 7-run explosion defined by nine consecutive batters reaching base before an out was recorded. Colby Thorndyke ignited the rally, launching an opposite-field solo shot to trim the deficit to one.

Walker Mitchell kept the line moving with his third hit of the night, followed by a trio of walks from Brayden Horton, Brice Estep, and Ty Barrango. Dean Mihos then laced a go-ahead RBI single to reclaim a 5-4 lead.

Chants back in front pic.twitter.com/4JLi6AmZs3

— Coastal Carolina Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) March 11, 2026

Returning to the lineup after being sidelined with an injury, Trace Mazon padded the cushion with an RBI knock of his own. After Blake Barthol was hit by a pitch to load the bases, the red-hot Rex Watson capped the frame by lining a two-run single to left, punctuating a six-run outburst that surged Coastal ahead 9-4.

Mazon extended the lead to 10-4 on an RBI single, scoring Barrango for his third hit and second RBI of the game, tallying his seventh multi-hit game of the season, showcasing the difference he makes to the lineup.

Thank you Trace 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/agQeSfm2AD

— Coastal Carolina Baseball (@CoastalBaseball) March 11, 2026

Mitchell also paced Coastal’s offense, adding a pair of hits of his own and reaching base in all 16 games so far this season.

Connor Kane earned the win for the Chants, relieving Richardson in the sixth inning. Kane ended his night allowing just three hits and no earned runs through 2.0 innings of work.

The Chanticleers got the job done in a thriller matchup in front of 5,122 fans at Springs Brooks Stadium, marking the sixth-largest overall crowd in stadium history.

With that victory, Coastal improves to 10-6 on the season and returns to action this weekend as they travel to Boone, N.C., to open Sun Belt Conference play against Appalachian State. Friday night’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Wake Forest aims to bounce back this weekend as it hosts No. 20 Florida State as first pitch for Friday’s season opener is scheduled for 6 p.m.