ECU Escapes With a 3-2 Road Win Over Ole Miss at Swayze Field

ECU(9-5) picked up an important 3-2 win over (12)Ole Miss to snap the Rebels’ six game win streak Wednesday afternoon at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium.

It was the Pirates' first win over the Rebels in their four tries.

Jake Kuchmaner threw eight and two-thirds innings of no hit baseball for ECU with a career high nine strikeouts before finally giving up a base hit to right center from Thomas Dillard, just one out away from a no hitter in the ninth inning.

Alec Burleson entered for the Pirates with two outs in the ninth in relief of Kuchmaner and eventually Sam Lanier came on afterward get the last out.

A third inning three run homer from Spencer Brickhouse had (14)ECU out front 3-0 for nearly the whole game until the ninth frame.

Then with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Rebels(9-3) scored a pair of runs on a Tyler Keenan base hit to left field. Ryan Olenek then reached on a Turner Brown’s fourth error of the season on a bobble at short before an Alec Burleson pitch got away from catcher Seth Caddell and put runners on second and third for Ole Miss.

As play continued in the ninth, Burleson then loaded the bases on a walk to Cole Zabowski before Sam Lanier came on in relief for the Pirates to end the threat.

Cooper Johnson popped out with two outs and the bases loaded for Ole Miss in the bottom of the ninth to end the contest.

Kuchmaner moved to 1-0 with the victory for ECU. Sam Lanier got his second save of the season while starter Doug Nikhazy (1-1) took the loss for Mississippi, giving up three runs on four hits in five innings of work.

ECU opens a three-game series with Marist in Clark-LeClair Stadium this Friday night at 6:30 p.m.