ECU scored early and often in game two Saturday afternoon on a misty, 50 degree day in Clark-LeClair Stadium scoring five runs in the first inning and two more in the second inning before cruising to an 8-2 game two win over Western Carolina.
Nick Barber went two for three for the Pirates, scoring a pair of runs, along with help from Spencer Brickhouse who belted his second home run in as many days.
“I thought we had some quality at bats and I think we had some good fortune too. Burly’s RBI wasn’t hit hard and Dwanya’s. When you hit balls hard, the baseball gods pay you back,” ECU head coach Cliff Godwin said, “Brickhouse’s swing, the three run homer was a very big swing to put us on the board.”
Jake Agnos got the start and the victory to move to 1-0. He led four ECU pitchers who saw action including Tyler Smith who pitched four scoreless innings along with Matt Bridges and West Covington who came in to shut down the Catamounts in the top of the ninth. Agnos struck out four, giving up two runs on three hits with just three walks.
“Jake didn’t have his best stuff obviously, but I told him if you’re not going to pitch good, do it when we’re going to score a lot of runs,” said Godwin, “The reason I told everybody that Tyler Smith could pitch in the weekend rotation is because of what he did today. Four scoreless (innings) and he just held them right there. He didn’t throw a lot of pitches and Matt Bridges comes in and puts up zeros and so does West Covington just showing the depth of our bullpen a little bit.”
Junior left-hander Taylor Puras faced 24 ECU batters and went five and a third innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, striking out two to go along with four walks to take the loss for the 0-2 Catamounts.
Brady Lloyd scored a pair of East Carolina runs on Saturday and was solid at second base.
“I’m just going up there seeing pictures. I feel good in the box right now so I get the pitch, hit and take it,” said Lloyd, “I feel I’m seeing the ball well. I practice how I play so it’s not any different when I get out there.”
The Pirates wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning when both Alec Burleson and Dwanya Williams-Sutton singled to put ECU up 2-0. Then for the second straight day, Spencer Brickhouse homered to right field to add three more runs that gave the Pirates a 5-0 lead.
In the top of the second inning, Western Carolina got into the act when base hits from Justice Bigbiel and Matt Koehler scored a pair of Catamount runs to make it 5-2.
Burleson singled again to score Brady Lloyd in the second inning before Barber crossed home plate for the second time in the game on a Williams-Sutton ground out to third to extend the ECU margin to 7-2.
The Pirates scored again in the bottom of the seventh when Bryant Packard’s single and a throwing error from Matthew Koehler allowed ECU(2-0) to score again to make it 8-2.
The two teams wind up the three game series Sunday afternoon at 1 o’clock in Clark-LeClair Stadium.
