Coastal Carolina scored three runs in both the second and third innings to spark a wild 14-11 victory over South Alabama at Stanky Field on Saturday.

The Jaguars fell behind 6-1 and 12-3 before rallying to make a game of it late, getting the tying run to the plate in the seventh and ninth innings. Still, the Chanticleers (32-17, 19-7) held on to deal USA its fifth straight loss in a game that featured 385 pitches and lasted 3 hours, 56 minutes.

After Georgia State won again Saturday, South Alabama (23-26, 11-15) slipped to two games back of the Panthers in the race for the final Sun Belt Conference tournament spot with four games remaining. After Sunday’s series finale with the Chanticleers, the Jaguars finish the regular season at Arkansas State next weekend.

Coastal Carolina pulled out an 8-7 victory in 10 innings on Friday night, but never led by fewer than two runs after the second inning on Saturday. The Chanticleers touched up South Alabama starter Jeremy Lee (2-7) for eight runs on seven hits in four-plus innings, then added four more runs in an ugly fifth inning that included three pitching changes for the Jaguars.

Coastal Carolina led 12-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth before South Alabama began to rally. Tyler Borges hit a two-run homer to make it 12-5, then the Jaguars scored four times in the seventh on five hits — including RBI singles by JG Bell, Micah Morgan and Erick Orbeta to get within 12-9.

The Jaguars had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but Austin Thrasher grounded out to end the threat. Coastal Carolina added Caden Bodine’s solo homer in the eighth and Derek Bender’s two-out RBI single in the ninth to carry a 14-9 lead into the Jaguars’ final at-bat.

Cole Ketzner beat out a double-play ball to score Borges with the Jaguars’ 10th run, then Orbeta and Thrasher delivered consecutive singles to make it 14-11 and bring the tying run to the plate again. Coastal Carolina reliever Levi Huesman retired the final two hitters to end the game, however, striking out Will Turner and getting Jackson Howard to ground into a forceout.

Morgan had four hits — including two doubles — and three RBIs in a losing cause for South Alabama, while Borges scored three times and Orbeta had three hits. The Jaguars left 12 runners on base, five in the final three innings.

Bender and Graham Brown drove in three runs each for Coastal Carolina, with Bender slamming a two-run homer in the third and Brown delivering a three-run double in the fifth. Bodine and leadoff man Payton Eeles both went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

The 11 pitchers who took the mound on Saturday combined for eight hit batters and six wild pitches, and pitched particularly well with the exception of South Alabama reliever Eric Lin, who allowed just one run in three innings. Will Smith — the second of five Coastal Carolina pitchers — got the win to move his record to 4-1 despite allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings.

The series concludes with an 11 a.m. game Sunday, South Alabama’s final home contest of the season.