ECU smacked three home runs and picked up a 9-2 game three victory in the rubber match of a weekend road series at Georgia Southern on Sunday in Statesboro, Georgia.
Carson Wisenhunt(1-0) went six and two-thirds innings on the mound for the Pirates, fanning eleven batters, yielding just four hits and no runs to grab the win for ECU(6-1).
Cam Colmore came in long enough to get a strikeout late in the sixth before Gaven Williams came on in relief in the eighth to make his season debut after an injury kept him out last weekend’s action against Rhode Island. Williams delivered three strikeouts along with a walk and a hit batter in one inning of work for an Pirates team that fanned 18 batters on Sunday.
Starting pitcher Braden Hays(0-1) lasted just four and two-thirds for Georgia Southern(2-5) with four strikeouts. Hays gave up four earned runs on five hits before five relievers saw action on Sunday.
Connor Norby who went 3 for 4 on the day, homered to left centerfield gave (22)ECU an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Pirates were at it again in the fourth frame when Zach Agnos homered in the top of the fifth to score two more runs to make it 3-0.
One inning later it was 4-0 after a Josh Moylan double to left scored Connor Norby and the Pirates were in a commanding position. That was followed by an
opposite field RBI base hit from Ryder Giles made it 5-0.
ECU plated another run in the eighth inning on Zach Agnos’ swat to the wall in right centerfield, good for an RBI double that put the Pirates up by a touchdown late in the contest.
A walk and a Ryley Johnson’s first career collegiate base hit set the table in the 9th for ECU for Seth Caddell who homered to deep left center in the ninth inning to make it 9-0.
Georgia Southern scored a pair of runs on a Sam Blancato double to left in the bottom of the ninth off of Ryder Giles who came on late for ECU. A.J. Wilson then came on with Eagle runners on the corners to shut the door.
GAME TWO: Georgia Southern 10 ECU 7
East Carolina lost their first game of the season 10-7 to Georgia Southern in game two of the weekend set in Statesboro on Saturday.
David Johnson, who gave up two hits with a four strikeouts and a pair of earned runs grabbed the victory for Georgia Southern(2-4).
Jake Kuchmaner got the Saturday start on the mound for ECU, went 4.2 innings, gave up seven hits and five earned runs with five strikeouts. C.J. Mayhue came on in relief, gave up four hits and four runs and was credited with the loss for the Pirates.
Josh Moylan’s two-run home run in the fourth inning to right field got East Carolina on the board first to get things started for the Pirates. But Georgia Southern answered in the bottom of the fourth with three runs of their own on an Austin Thompson RBI double and J.P. Tighe’s two-run shot to left to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
East Carolina(5-1) was back at it in the fifth inning with a pair of runs on Connor Norby’s base hit to third that scored Lane Hoover before Josh Moylan got involved with a two-run double to left centerfield and suddenly things were looking up for the Pirates that were back out front 5-3.
But in the bottom of the fifth, Georgia Southern exploded for five runs, highlighted by a three-run home run from Austin Thompson that gave the Eagles a three run lead. Then with the bases loaded, Mason McWharter was beaned by a Skylar Brooks pitch to score another run to make it 9-5.
Thomas Francisco’s RBI single in the seventh scored an ECU run that trimmed the Georgia Southern lead to three. One inning later, Alec Makarewitz homered to right center to further eat into the Eagle lead and make it 9-7.
But Christian Avent’s base hit up the middle after a Noah Ledford triple scored another Eagle run to extend the Georgia Southern lead back to three and they went on to hold on for the win.
GAME ONE: ECU 6 Georgia Southern 4
A four run small ball fourth inning helped ECU erase a one run deficit in a 6-4 game one Friday night victory over Georgia Southern.
Matt Bridges(1-0) picked up the win for ECU going two and a third for the Pirates with three strikeouts against a pair of Eagle runs. Cam Colmore picked up the save and Jordan Jackson fell to 0-2 with the loss for the Eagles.
Lane Hoover had three hits and Josh Moylan had two in the win. ECU used eight pitchers all told on Friday night.
Mason McWharter’s two-run homer to centerfield in the bottom of the third gave Georgia Southern(1-4) a brief 2-1 lead.
Then RBI’s from Josh Moylan, Ryder Giles, Bryson Worrell and Lane Hoover in the fourth inning proved to be the big difference for the Pirates. That put ECU(5-0) up 5-2.
Noah Ledford’s sacrifice fly scored a Georgia Southern run in the fifth and the Eagles were at it again the sixth frame, loading the bases but came up empty.
One inning later, Christian Avant reached on a fielder's choice to score another Georgia Southern run that briefly cut the ECU lead to one at 5-4.
But Matt Bridges came through with an RBI base hit with Ryder Giles in scoring position on second in the top of the eighth to put the the Pirates up by two.
The Eagles managed to put runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to capitalize.
