ECU Takes Greenville NCAA Regional With a 9-6 Win Over Maryland
East Carolina entered Saturday night’s rain delayed game with Maryland needing just one more victory to advance to the Super Regionals and they got it with a 9-6 win to sweep the regional in Clark-LeClair Stadium with three straight wins.
The Pirates never trailed with Cam Colmore(7-1) picking up the win on the mound and Matt Bridges getting his fifth save of the season. Connor Staine fell to 0-3 with the loss for Maryland.
“This is the reason we came back to get another opportunity at dog piling and going to Omaha and I just can’t put it into words. This is the reason we came back, to lead these guys in the locker room,” Colmore said, “It’s something special and I’ll never forget it ever. My last game ever in Clark-LeClair, laying on the mound dog piling with all of my best friends.”
“I really can’t put it into words just to be out there but it’s all about the guys and the most special part to me was just turning around and seeing them all coming my way,” said Matt Bridges, “We’re all in this together. We put a lot of work into this and it’s really all comes together in these moments and it’s really special.”
For Pirate head coach Cliff Godwin, it was yet another building block in a history at ECU that is both meaningful and historic.
“Just super excited for these guys who decided to come back, Matt Bridges, Cam Colmore and Tyler Smith. We wouldn’t be here today without what they have done on the field but more importantly what they’ve done in that locker room on a day to day basis,” Godwin said, “Pretty special. There haven’t been many who have won two regionals. Bridgey and Cam have won three. That might be the first ECU players to ever win three regionals in their sixth year.”
Godwin depicted what he saw as the big difference makers in Sunday night’s Pirate victory over the Terps.
“I thought were able to get to a lead and we were able to hold on. The pitchers that came in, everybody wasn’t perfect but guys passed the ball to the next guy and we just continued to eat up innings,” Godwin told PirateIllustrated.com, “Then Josh Moylan hustles out a ground ball, beats him by a half step and the next thing you know - a walk and a double and there’s a three-run inning to kind of give us some cushion. They scored two and then Bridgey slammed the door shut.”
ECU got off to a two-run start in the first inning on a Josh Moylan RBI double to centerfield and a Alec Makarewicz base hit up the middle that scored another run. Maryland answered in the bottom of the frame with a Matthew Shaw homer to left field in a 2-1 contest.
Seth Caddell’s home run in the top of the second inning into the left field jungle made it 3-1 Pirates. That got Maryland starting pitcher Connor Staine lifted after just 1.2 innings after giving up three earned runs and five hits with just one strikeout for right-hand reliever Sam Bello.
ECU scored again in the top of the third on a Zach Agnos sacrifice fly to right that scored Thomas Francisco. Shaw’s second home run of the game on a drive to right field in the bottom of the inning for Maryland cut the ECU lead to 4-2.
Josh Moylan was hit by a Sean Fisher pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to make it 5-2 Pirates before Makarewicz grounded out to limit the damage to Maryland.
Troy Schreffler’s base hit off ECU reliever C.J. Mayhue bounced off the glove of Ryder Giles and was ruled a hit with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. It scored two runs to get the Terps within one at 5-4.
The Pirates added three runs in the eighth to improve the East Carolina lead to 8-4 on a Josh Moylan fielder’s choice and a Zach Agnos two RBI double.
Maxwell Costes stroked a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to cut the ECU lead to two at 8-6.
Things only got worse for Maryland when Thomas Francisco’s infield grounder scored another run to make it 9-6.
East Carolina(44-15) will now take to the road to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt that beat Georgia Tech 14-11 to win the Nashville Regional and advance to Super Regional play for the fourth straight season.
Bridges talked about translating the success the Pirates have had at home to a road SEC venue at Hawkins Field for Super Regional action next weekend.
“We’ve played in crowds before and we’re not going to shy away from that. We’re ready for it, we’re ready for the challenge, we’re a tough group,” said Bridges, “We’re going to stay within ourselves, play with each other and we’re all that we need. We’re in it to win it so we’re looking forward to it.”
