WILMINGTON, N.C. - UNC-Wilmington (33-19) struck twice in the bottom half of the first inning and never looked back in defeating Charleston Southern (20-31) 5-1 on Tuesday evening at Brooks Field.

UNCW's Hunter Ridge put the Seahawks on the board in the first with a double to right center that score Andrew Cain to make it 1-0. Thomas Pope then singled to second base and Ridge would come around to score on the play to give the Seahawks a 2-0 lead.

Pope would help UNCW add to the lead as he launched a solo homerun to left field off CSU starter Kevin Buran (0-5), extending the lead to 3-0. The homerun was Pope's fourth of the year.

Zach Hagaman would relieve Buran with one out in the bottom of the fifth and a runner on first. Hagaman would give up a single off the glove of a diving Thomas Levander and Pope would walk to load the bases. Drew Farber then stepped into the batter's box and delivered a single into right field that scored Ridge and Cain which made the UNCW lead 5-0.

Chase Shelton delivered a one out triple in the top of the sixth inning for Charleston Southern, his first of the season, which set up Alex Tomasovich to come-thru with a two-out single on a full count that would score Shelton and cut the deficit to 5-1.

The game was a scorekeeper's nightmare as 15 different pitchers were used and 42 total players entered the contest.

Shelton's 2-for-3 performance led the Buccaneers at the plate. Robbie Streett extended his reached base streak to 19 games with a 1-for-3 night while Tomasovich also went 1-for-3. Matt Witt collected a base hit in his only at-bat as a pinch-hitter.

UNCW was paced by three hit games from Ridge and Pope.

Buran tossed 4 2/3 in the losing effort, allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits. He struck out two and walked just one.

The Buccaneers used seven pitchers on the night, including Denis Buckley who tossed one scoreless inning to extend his streak to 16 1/3 innings without allowing a run.

Ricky Holden (3-0) was credited with the win for the Seahawks, going three innings and surrendering only one hit while striking out four.

Charleston Southern will conclude the regular season this weekend as it hosts Big South foe Coastal Carolina for a three-game set. The series will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday this weekend instead of the traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday. First pitch for all three days is set for 2:00 p.m., with a senior day ceremony scheduled for prior to Saturday's contest.