ECU Pounds Norfolk State 9-1
Bryant Packard, Dwanya Williams-Sutton and Brady Lloyd all homered and (10)ECU made quick work despatching Norfolk State 9-1 Tuesday night in Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Packard extended his consecutive game hitting streak to 24 games for ECU(34-12/11-7 AAC) win what is the third longest streak in Pirate history.
Jake Kuchmaner(2-0) gave up five hits and no runs in his four innings of work in his Tuesday start for ECU before Gavin Williams, West Covington and Willy Strong all saw action in relief.
Dwanya Williams-Sutton went two for three with a pair of RBI, a double and a homer and he robbed Norfolk State of a home run with a leaping catch in the ECU outfield.
“I go up there and try to get a pitch that I can hit. He threw me a fastball, I was looking at the inner half of the plate for something I could drive to my pull side. I got it up into the wind and it went a long ways,” said Sutton who recapped his big snag over the left field wall, “I’m at the warning track and I’m just wondering when this ball is going to come down. I saw it kept carrying and I jumped over the fence, reached my glove back and miraculously it was inside my glove when I pulled it back over.”
It was another solid day at the office for the Pirates in what sets up as a five game week for the Pirates.
“I thought Kuch gave us a good solid start. Gavin game in and did a good job. Covey came in. Willy Strong and all the pitchers did a good job. Home runs - Packard gets a jack, Dwanya hits a jack and Brady Lloyd hits a two-run jack and I thought guys came off the bench - Bryson Worrell and Alec Burleson with some big RBI’s late,” ECU head coach Cliff Godwin said.
Norfolk State starter Tyler Morgan(0-3) lasted just two innings, giving up a pair of runs including a home run. Then Trey Hanchey came on in relief, giving up four runs including a pair of homers in his three innings of work where he gave up five hits all told before four other Spartan relievers saw action.
The Pirates wasted little time getting the festivities underway when Bryant Packard homered to right field in the first inning to give ECU a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, Turner Brown’s sacrifice bunt allowed Brady Lloyd to scamper home to give ECU a 2-0 lead before Dwayne Williams-Sutton homered to left to increase the Pirate lead to three before Lloyd’s two-run shot to left made it 5-0.
Nick Barber scored in the bottom of the fourth when Dwanya Williams-Sutton doubled to left field put the Pirates up by six.
In the ECU half of the eighth, Bryson Worrell doubled down the left field line to score two more runs. Then Alec Burleson’s base hit to right field brought Worrell home to give ECU a 9-0 lead.
A Norfolk State base hit in the ninth by Alejandro Pelaez scored a Spartan run to make it 9-1.
The Pirates next head to Wilmington for a 6 o’clock game tomorrow night before resuming AAC action with a three-game series with Cincinnati that begins Friday night at 6:30.
