PirateIllustrated.com - ECU splits with UCLA on Saturday

March 14, 2009

ECU Baseball Media Relations

GREENVILLE, N.C. - UCLA scored three runs in the final three frames to pick up a series win over No. 20 East Carolina 8-6 in game two of a double-header that was completed Saturday morning at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates (10-4) and the Bruins (5-11) picked up where Friday's game was suspended in the middle of the sixth inning with UCLA clinging to a 5-3.

When play resumed, Drew Schieber staked the Pirates to a 6-5 lead when he took a 1-2 count from Mitchell Beacom to left field. Stephen Batts and Kyle Roller drew back-to-back walks then came around to score on Schieber's third home run of the season.

UCLA answered with a run in the seventh, knotting the game at six on Blair Dunlap's solo shot to center field off Sthil Sowers.

In the eighth, the Bruins took the lead, 7-6, when Alex Weber-Shapiro singled down the right field line plating Justin Uribe, who walked to lead off the inning. Designated hitter Cody Decker followed Uribe's at-bat with a single to right then took third on Weber-Shapiro's RBI base-knock.

The Bruins tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on pinch hitter Gino Aielli's bunt single that pushed across Eddie Murray, who laced a one-out double to right field.

Trevor Bauer (1-3) recorded the win in relief, while Sowers (1-2) suffered the loss. Beacom lasted just one-third of an inning surrendering three runs on two hits with two walks before handing the ball off to Bauer. Despite allowing three runs on three hits, starter Gerrit Cole struck out a career-high 12 batters in five full innings.

For the Pirates, Seth Simmons worked 1 2/3 innings allowing one run on one hit with two walks and a strikeout, before Patrick Somers (0.0 IP, 1 H) and Bailey Daniels (1/3 IP) to close out the contest. ECU starter Chris Heston worked 5 1/3 innings allowing five runs on one hit with six walks and four punch outs before passing the ball to Sowers in the top half of the sixth.

Down 3-0 in the fourth, UCLA took advantage of some Pirate miscues scoring five runs on one hit to take a 5-3 lead. Murray reached on an error then took second on a fielder's choice and landed on third on Justin Uribe's fielder's choice. Murray scored the Bruins first run when Dustin Quist drew a bases-loaded free pass cutting into the Pirates lead, 3-1. Uribe scored on a Heston wild pitch, while Quist and Weber-Shapiro moved up 90 feet to put runners on second and third with two-outs.

Niko Gallego walked to load the bases and a passed ball pushed Weber-Shapiro across for the third run of the frame. Dunlap capped off the scoring with a two-RBI double down the left field line that scored both Quist and Gallego.

ECU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning when Kyle Roller blasted his third home run of the season and 26th of this career, a solo shot to center field.

Freshman Zach Wright gave ECU a 3-0 lead in the third on his second home run of the season. Devin Harris drew a walk prior to Wright's two-run shot to center field.

East Carolina bounced back in game three of the weekend series against UCLA to record a 7-5 victory Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates improve to 11-4, while UCLA falls to 5-11.

The senior quartet of Stephen Batts (1-for-4, RBI), Brandon Henderson (3-for-3, 2 RBI), Drew Schieber (2-for-4, 4 RBI) and Ryan Wood (3-for-5, 2 runs) combined to collect all nine hits and drive in all seven runs on the afternoon. Batts' lone hit came in the first inning, single to left, to extend his current hitting streak to 16 games.

Freshman Kevin Brandt (3-0) recorded his third win out of the bullpen throwing five solid innings where he gave up four runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Mike Wright got his first career start lasting 2 1/3 frames and surrendering just one run on one hit, while walking three and fanning one. Senior reliever Bailey Daniels shut the door on the Bruins notching three punch outs in 1 2/3 innings with one hit.

Charles Brewer (0-2) suffered the loss allowing six runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts in four innings. Brendan Lafferty (2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 K), Garett Claypool (2/3 IP) and Matt Grace (2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 K) closed out the final four innings on the bump.

The Pirates four-run first was highlighted by Henderson's two-run homer to left center for a 4-0 lead. Wood, who registered his 64th career multi-hit game, reached on a error then took second on a Brewer failed pickoff before touched home for the games first run on Batts' RBI single through the left side. Batts advanced to third on Kyle Roller's fly ball to center and game around to score on Schieber's RBI single up the middle. Henderson took a 3-1 offering deep to left for his 24th career home run.

The Pirates will be back in action on Wednesday, Mar. 18 when they host Norfolk State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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