(13)ECU knocked four home runs and scored six runs in the sixth inning highlighted by Bryant Packard’s grand slam in a 13-7 game two win over USF Saturday night in Tampa.
It was the Pirates' eighth straight victory.
Tyler Smith yielded eight hits and four earned runs in five innings of work on the mound with four strikeouts and three walks but picked up the win for ECU. Zach Barnes entered in the sixth in relief for the Pirates.
Alec Wisely took the loss for USF giving up nine hits and nine earned runs to go along with four strikeouts. Logan Lyle came on in relief for the Bulls in the top of the seventh
An Alec Burleson base hit in the first inning brought the first run for ECU(20-6/5-0 AAC) and a Badrado hit in the same frame scored a run for USF to tie the contest at 1-1.
Burleson was at it again in the third inning along with Thomas Francisco when both homered to expand the Pirate lead to 3-1.
Badrado’s base hit to left in the fifth inning then got USF(12-13/1-4 AAC) back to within a run at 3-2. Schrepf’s double to left field scored two more runs to give the Bulls their only lead of the game at 4-3.
The Pirates tied the game in the sixth on a Turner Brown base hit to right field that allowed Spencer Brickhouse to score to even the score at 4-4. Then Ryder Giles was hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded to score another ECU run. That’s when Bryant Packard connected on a grand slam homer to right to give ECU a commanding five run lead.
Matters didn’t get any better for the Bulls when Burleson added a solo homer to right for ECU that made it 10-4 in the seventh inning.
Jake Sullivan singled up the middle in the bottom of the seventh with runners on the corners to score a run to help the Bulls close to within five at 10-5.
A pair of USF doubles in the bottom of the eighth from Nick Gonzalez and Jordan Santos produced a run. Then Joe Genord got in on the party with a double of his own that brought Santos across home plate to cut the ECU lead to 10-7.
But just as the Bulls thought they had a chance to make a come back, ECU added three more runs in the top of the ninth to give the Pirates a six run cushion at 13-7.
