ECU Tops Wichita State 7-3 on Sunday to Win Weekend Series

(8)ECU grabbed a 7-3 victory over Wichita State to win the weekend series Sunday afternoon at Eck Stadium.

Lane Hoover, Spencer Brickhouse and Turner Brown all scored a pair of runs in the win for the Pirates.

Connery Peters(1-2) went just three innings in is Sunday start for Wichita State to take the loss before five Shocker relievers saw action. Wichita State left 14 batters stranded and made three errors in the loss.

Tyler Smith improved to 7-0 with the victory for ECU. Smith lasted five innings for ECU and then Zach Barnes came on in relief. He gave up eight hits and a pair of runs with four strikeouts in 97 pitches.

Smith put out a fire in a bases loaded jam in the first inning but not before the Shockers scored first on a double steal when Jacob Katzfey scampered to second, Jordan Boyer stole home for a 1-0 lead.

ECU(39-12/18-3 AAC) tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third when an Alec Burleson double brought in a run. The Pirates then scored three more runs in the inning on a Turner Brown fielder’s choice, a Jake Washer grounder and a Dusty Baker base hit to right as the Pirate lead expanded to 4-1.

Wichita State(23-28/7-14 AAC). trimmed the lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning when Katzfey scored on an O’Brien base hit to right.

Hoover scored on a bunt from Turner Brown for ECU in the seventh. That was followed by two more ECU runs on a pair of errant throws that expanded the Pirate lead to 7-2.

Evan Voliva entered with the bases loaded and no outs in relief of Barnes in the eighth inning before Cam Colmore and eventually Alec Burleson closed the game out in the ninth.

Wichita State scored a run in the eighth to cut the ECU lead to 7-3 on a Katzfey grounder to third that allowed Slavens to score.