ECU Captures 2-1 Saturday Win Over Maryland to Take Series

ECU picked up their sixth straight baseball win over Maryland with a 2-1 Saturday afternoon victory at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium in College Park.

Pirate junior right-hander Tyler Smith(2-0) picked up the win for ECU. Smith lasted for for six innings, giving up just 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Alec Burleson pulled double duty on Saturday, getting two of ECU’s five hits on the day and scoring a run before picking up the save on the mound.

Base knocks from Dusty Baker and Brady Lloyd produced a pair of second inning runs that gave ECU an early 2-0 lead and it proved to be enough for the win.

Taylor Wright’s fourth inning double and subsequent stolen base advanced Wright to third base for Maryland. Then a walk from Max Costes and a passed ball on a pitch Smith allowed Wright to scamper home as Maryland cut the lead to 2-1.

Maryland(10-7) then loaded the bags in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of walks and a hit batter by Burleson who made his third pitching appearance of the year out of the bullpen for ECU(14-6). But Taylor Wright popped out to short stop Turner Brown end the threat.

Burleson put the fire out with three innings of work on the mound to pick up his first save of the season in ECU’s series victory over Maryland with the third game scheduled for Sunday at 1 o’clock.

Starting pitcher Zach Thompson(1-2) took the loss for Maryland, lasting eight innings, giving up four hits and two runs with a pair of strikeouts before Andrew Vail came on in relief.