East Carolina's four run eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and the Pirates went on to pick up a hard earned 7-3 win over a spirited Le Salle ball club in the opening home game of the season in Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Spencer Brickhouse scored three runs on two hits for ECU to go along with two hits from Travis Watkins. Starter Evan Kruczynski went five innings for the Pirates and Joe Ingle(1-0) came on to pitch a pair of innings and pick up the victory for ECU(2-3). Jorge Jimenez(0-1) took the loss for the Explorers.
Watkins doubled to left field to score Brickhouse from third base to give East Carolina an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Watkins then scored from third base off a Turner Brown grounder to second base to extend the lead to 2-0.
Yan Carlo Rivera got things going for La Salle in the top of the third with a double followed by an Austin Constantini single. After Constantini stole second base, Kevin McGowan’s two-run RBI tied the game at 2-2.
La Salle’s Brian Tagoe scored on a wild pitch from Evan Kruczynski in the top of the fourth to take the lead at 3-2.
ECU got something cooking in the bottom of the 7th frame when Luke Bolka and Spencer Brickhouse both singled to left field. Brickhouse then advanced to second on the throw. A Travis Watkins pop fly then moved Brickhouse to third. Wesley Phillips then came in to pinch hit for Bryant Packard and singled to right field to score Brickhouse and tie the contest at 3-3.
Jimenez came on in the bottom of the eighth for La Salle and walked Charlie Yorgan and Andrew Henrickson. T.J. Riles’ showed bunt and then picked up his team leading seventh RBI on a chopper that got through the infield past Constantini and scored Yorgan to give ECU a 4-3 lead.
Riles then stole second and with men on second and third, Eric Tyler walked to load the bases. Luke Bolka then faced Michael Flax who came on in relief of Jimenez.
Bolka then flied to center to score Henrickson and suddenly it was 5-3 Pirates. Riles and Tyler advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with one out in the eighth. Then a balk was called on Flax that scored Riles.
With two outs in the inning, ECU blew the game wide open. Kirk Morgan’s RBI drive into the right field corner scored Brickhouse to make it 7-3 Pirates.
Four ECU pitchers produced 14 strikeouts in the victory while La Salle left eight men on base and dropped to 0-4 with the loss.
Pirate outfielder Dwayna Williams-Sutton did not play. He is out with a broken thumb and will likely be out of the lineup for at least a month.
Game two between the two teams is set for 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Clark-LeClair Stadium.
