BUIES CREEK – The Fighting Camels dropped the series rubber match to No. 17 Coastal Carolina Tuesday afternoon 5-3.
 
No. 14 Campbell falls to 25-7, while Coastal improves to 21-10 on the season.
 
Coastal got to Hunter Loyd early, tagging the Campbell starter for five runs, three of them earned across the second, third, and fourth innings. Loyd was able to settle in work through the sixth on the day, striking out five.
 
Chad Born put the Chanticleers on the board with a solo home run in the second, added two in the third on an error and sac fly, and two in the third on a wild pitch and another sac fly.
 
Meanwhile, Coastal starter Liam Doyle was perfect his first time through the Campbell order before exiting the game in the fourth.
 
The Camels had two chances for big innings in the sixth and seventh but stranded five runners across the two frames.
 
Campbell got on the board in the sixth when Drake Pierson got plunked with the bases loaded. Halstead scored on a wild pitch moments later to cut the lead to 5-2. Jonah Oster flied out to right stranding two in scoring position.
 
After Trenton Harris scored on a wild pitch in the seventh, three free passes loaded the bases with two outs. Coastal turned to its closer Teddy Sharkey to face Lawson Harrill. Sharkey won the battle getting Harrill swinging on a full count to leave them loaded and preserve the two run lead.
 
Campbell couldn't get much going against Sharkey over the remaining two innings and ultimately fell 5-3.
 
The offense scattered just four hits, but did earn eight free passes on the night to keep guys aboard. Drake Pierson's bases loaded walk was the only Campbell RBI of the night as Campbell hit just 1-11 with runners on base and 0-4 with runners in scoring position.
 
Campbell returns to action this weekend with a Big South road trip at Longwood. First pitch Friday night is slated for 6 p.m., with all three games of the weekend streaming on ESPN+.