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OMAHA, Neb. — Wells Sykes slid across home plate and jumped up in a cloud of dust with arms raised. The Coastal Carolina winning streak is alive and well in Omaha.

Sebastian Alexander’s sinking line drive to center field provided the decisive late scoring moment and the Chanticleers hit their way past ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ in a 7-4 rollercoaster ride to open the College World Series on Friday afternoon at Schwab Field.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ (44-20) brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the ninth but followed with a strikeout and double play. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ face elimination against the loser of the Oregon State-Louisville game Sunday at 11 a.m. while Coastal (54-11) faces the winner of that tilt Sunday at 4 p.m.

A punch-counterpunch affair reminiscent of the teams’ 2016 championship series played out across a warm afternoon in a worthy debut of the 75th CWS in Omaha. Small ball. Big hits. Clutch pitching and defense.

Ultimately, the Chanticleers were the ones celebrating a 24th straight triumph dating back to late April. A three-run eighth provided the difference beginning with Alexander’s scoring single and followed by Blake Barthol socking a two-run double to right-center as a crowd of 24,058 buzzed.

“We’re locked in,� Sykes said. “We’re on a crazy win streak.�

Coastal surprised ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ by starting sinker/slider specialist Riley Eikhoff, who allowed just a pair of runs across four efficient innings. Regular Friday starter Cameron Flukey handled the next four stanzas to similar results (four innings, two runs) featuring a live mid-90s fastball, biting slider and slow curveball.

“He was sinking the ball and sweeping it pretty well,â€� ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ outfielder Mason White said of Eikhoff. “And he was locating too, so what you had to do against him is jump the mistake.â€�

White did in the fourth inning when he hammered an 0-2 high fastball the opposite way to left field for a 350-foot home run — the ball needed every inch as it barely cleared the glove of the leaping outfielder Alexander. Adonys Guzman followed with a double into the right-field corner and trotted home when Maddox Mihalakis pulled a waist-high offering to the same spot.

The three straight extra-base hits tied the game after Coastal struck first with a pair of second-inning runs. Three consecutive Chanticleer singles to open the home half of the frame set up the threat, including a popup bunt by Ty Dooley that ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ pitcher Owen Kramkowski couldn’t quite corral on a dive 30 feet up the third-base line.

“Some funky plays in there,â€� ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ coach Chip Hale said.

That brought up Sykes — the nine-hole hitter batting .292 — who pulled a high breaking pitch through the left side for a two-run, one-out single. Kramkowski prevented further damage by coaxing a lineout to right field and striking out Chants RBI leader Alexander.

Eikhoff faced the minimum through two innings despite leadoff ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ singles — a caught stealing and ground-ball double play wiped out runners. He stranded a one-out Tommy Splaine double in the third.

The Chants regained a 3-2 lead in the fifth. With runners at the corners and two outs, Blagen Pado pushed a fastball through the right side in a spot opened up by a hit-and-run call.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s go-ahead sixth came with an ironic twist. Flukey and Coastal — the national leader in being hit by pitches (170) — plunked three ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, with the last to Mihalakis coming with the bases loaded. Garen Caulfield followed with an RBI groundout to forge a 4-3 edge.

Coastal retied the score in its half of the sixth against reliever Casey Hintz. Dean Mihos singled, advanced on a wild pitch and groundout and touched home on a Caden Bodine roller to the shortstop.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ managed five innings from Kramkowski, who struck out seven and worked around nine hits and a walk. The sophomore bounced back from a disastrous Super Regional start at North Carolina — when he didn’t get out of the second inning and gave up eight runs — by stranding seven baserunners.

The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ escaped a jam in the seventh with a Coastal runner on third and one out as reliever Garrett Hicks came on to collect a pair of strikeouts on six pitches. Hicks produced two more quick outs in the eighth before Sykes blooped a double down the right-field line. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ then intentionally walked Caden Bodine.

Alexander followed by cracking a high fastball back up the middle for an RBI single. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ brought in star closer Tony Pluta and Barthol greeted him with a double to the wall in right-center for the final blow.

“When Blake got that hit, we hit the trifecta,� Chants coach Kevin Schnall said. “We scored first, we got the big inning and we got to seven (runs). Dinner reservations were made.�

Barthol credited the pitching staff, which held down ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s 159th-ranked scoring offense and bought time for the Coastal sticks.

“When they give up less than five runs a game, we can breathe and just relax in the box,� Barthol said. “Eventually the runs will come.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ players were subdued but poker-faced afterward. The group lost its Super Regional opener at No. 5 national seed North Carolina a week earlier and bounced back to advance.

The Chants kept their win streak going. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ didn’t, and the regional two seed is again playing with its season on the brink.

“The zoo, everything that goes on with Omaha that’s really cool and really fun is over for us,� Hale said. “It’s back to foxhole mentality, playing for each other and worrying about baseball.�