ECU rallied from an eight run deficit to trim the lead to just two by the end of the seventh inning, but the Pirates came up empty in the final two frames and fell 11-9 to split the weekend series with Wichita State Sunday afternoon.
L.J. McDonough(1-0) picked up the win for Wichita State lasting just under two innings with three strikeouts and giving up a pair of hits and two unearned runs. Aaron Haase grabbed his eighth save of the season, giving up just two hits in his 2.1 innings of work.
Josh Moylan for ECU and Wichita State’s Ross Cadena went 3-5 on the day at the plate to lead their respective teams. Cadena’s third inning homer had the Shockers up by a touchdown early while Moylan knocked a two-run home run of his own in the fifth.
Zach Agnos' double to left centerfield that scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning seemingly got ECU off to a good start.
But it wasn’t long before Wichita State(22-17/10-9 AAC) got on the scoreboard when Corrigan Bartlett’s walk with the bases loaded scored the Shockers’ first run of the game. That was soon followed by Couper Cornblum’s base hit to right field with the bases juiced to score two more runs in a 3-2 contest.
That hastened (8)ECU starter Carter Spivey’s exit from the mound after just a third of an inning after giving up five runs, all earned on three hits with no strikeouts in just 23 pitches. Spivey fell to 1-1 with the loss for ECU.
In case that wasn’t enough, RBI base hits from Seth Stroh and Andrew Stewart in the same inning quickly had Wichita State up 6-2 before a pair of solo homers from Ross Cadena and Chuck Ingram along with an RBI single from Jack Sigrist found Wichita State up 9-2 in the third.
Wichita State left-hand starter Gareth Stroh lasted only 3.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
In the fourth inning the slugfest continued with an ECU home run from Zach Agnos that made it 9-3 before a Couper Cornblum RBI double to left center put the Shockers back up by a touchdown. Cornblum then scored after a pick off attempt at second base from Cam Colmore resulted in another run to make it 11-3.
Moylan’s two-run home run in the top of the fifth got East Carolina back to within six at 11-5.
A throwing error on L.J. McDonnough that allowed Ryley Johnson to scamper home for an ECU run in the sixth was followed by Josh Moylan’s RBI base hit that cut the Shocker lead to 11-7.
Then Seth Caddell’s two-run shot to left field further ate into the Wichita State lead to make it 11-9, but ECU(30-9/12-4 AAC) was unable to complete the comeback.
ECU returns to action next Friday in Greenville when the Pirates host Tulane with the first game of a double-header beginning at 1 o’clock.
