ECU Dispatches Charlotte 14-4 in Weekend Series Opener
ECU scored 14 runs on 17 hits and Charlotte had little hope of winning on Friday as the Pirates came away with a 14-4 victory over the 49ers in game one of the weekend set at Hayes Stadium.
Alec Burleson(2-1) had three hits and got the win on the mound for ECU. Lane Hoover added three RBI including a two run homer to lead ECU offensively and snap a seven game home winning streak for Charlotte as Bryce McGowan(2-2) absorbed the loss for the 49ers.
Ryder Giles got the scoring underway to highlight a three hit second inning with a base hit to right off of Charlotte starter Bryce McGowan that scored a pair of ECU runs.
ECU was at it again in the third inning when Christian Jayne’s single to centerfield brought Alec Burleson home from second base to score another Pirate run.
Connor Norby’s RBI fifth inning bunt single and a passed ball of a Pat Szczypinski pitch that allowed Bryson Worrell to score increased the ECU lead to 5-0.
ECU scored two more runs in the sixth for a 7-0 lead on Hoover’s first career homer on a two-run shot to right field off of Szczypinski.
Rafi Vazquez’s three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth got Charlotte on the scoreboard and reduced the ECU lead to 7-3. Then with the bases loaded for Charlotte, Skylar Brooks came on in relief of Alec Burleson who moved to first base. Burleson lasted five and two thirds innings and 93 pitches on the mound for the Pirates.
Later in the sixth, Brooks walked Jacob Whitley to bring a fourth 49er run to trim the ECU lead to a field goal. Left-hander C.J. Mayhue then came on in relief of Brooks and struck out Carson Johnson with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Lane Hoover’s base hit to second base allowed Connor Norby to score and a pair of Nick Turnbull walked batters in the seventh inning led to an ECU sac fly from Ryder Giles to score another run in an 9-4 game.
ECU scored five runs in the eighth frame on RBI hits from Seth Caddell, Bryson Worrell and Christian Jayne before a Will Palinkas wild pitch and a Ben Newton fielder’s choice to first base produced two more Pirate runs to make it 14-4.
