ECU drops 2-0 pitchers’ duel decision to No. 6 North Carolina

by | Feb 23, 2025

By ECUPirates.com/PR927FM.com

DURHAM, N.C. – In what has become one of the premier early-season weekend series of the college baseball season, East Carolina and No. 6 North Carolina did not disappoint the 6,695 gathered at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park Saturday afternoon as the Tar Heels edged the Pirates 2-0 to open the three-game set.

East Carolina-ODU baseball moved from Tuesday to Wednesday

ECU (2-3) out-hit UNC (5-0) by a 6-5 margin but the Tar Heels were able to scratch across both of their runs in the top of the fifth before holding off the Pirates in the end.

Jason DeCaro (2-0) tossed 5.1 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and two walks to earn his second win of the year. Ethan Norby (0-2) also turned in a solid effort in the setback, allowing two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings.Kane Kepley and Tyler Bass each registered a hit and RBI for North Carolina’s offense while six different Pirates notched a base knock in the contest.

DeCaro and Norby made quick work of each respective lineup in the early frames before the Tar Heels finally broke through in the fifth. Gavin Gallaher led off the half inning with a single to left before Hunter Stokely laced a one-out double down the right field line that pushed Gallaher to third. An RBI groundout and run-scoring infield single provided what turned out to be the only offense of the day as UNC grabbed a 2-0 advantage.

ECU was able to create traffic as the game wore on, loading the bases in both the fifth and seventh innings, but could not quite push anything across. Walker McDuffie locked down his first save of the season by covering the final 2.1 frames with three strikeouts.

Postgame Notes Graphic

  • The Pirates and Tar Heels have now each won five of the last 10 meetings in the all-time series.
  • The reported attendance of 6,695 eclipsed the 6,288 that saw East Carolina defeat North Carolina 7-4 in last year’s neutral site meeting at Fayetteville’s Segra Stadium.
  • ECU’s pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, marking the fourth time this season the unit has reached double figures.
  • The Pirates left 10 runners on base and were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
  • East Carolina’s pitchers now own a collective 3.07 earned run average and are holding opposing hitters to a .156 batting average with 52 strikeouts in 44.0 innings of work.

Up Next: The Pirates and Tar Heels continue the series Sunday at 1 p.m. from Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. The game will stream live via ACC Network Extra.

Check out Pirate Radio

Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube

Top Headlines

Photos: Pirate Radio Luncheon with Jay Glazer

We've added photo galleries of photos taken during Jay Glazer's appearance at the Pirate Radio Luncheon on March 23, 2026. Click here to see photos from Glazer's appearance at the ECU-UAB game on March 22, which also included him throwing out the first pitch. Click...

Duke rallies in ninth inning to beat ECU

Duke rallied for five runs in the final three innings, including a ninth-inning walk-off home run to beat ECU, 9-8 on Tuesday. Check out Pirate Radio Download our mobile app now! Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts |...

PRL Wednesday: Baseball, baseball and more baseball

The start of the Major League Baseball season is here, so there’s even more baseball to discuss on Wednesday's show. We’ll discuss the fallout from Tuesday’s loss by ECU to Duke. We’ll continue the baseball conversation with Mark Brown, who will preview the upcoming...

The Brandon Golden Show: ECU baseball coach Cliff Godwin

The latest edition of "The Brandon Golden Show" features one of his former co-workers. ECU baseball coach Cliff Godwin joins the show to catch up and to talk about the Pirates. They'll cover the season's happenings so far, American Conference play and what lies ahead...

The Brian Bailey Show: Second chance at the NCAA Tournament

Tuesday's edition of The Brian Bailey Show takes another crack at the NCAA Tournament. If your bracket is already busted, Bailey's show can help with that. He'll conduct his latest "Second Chance with the Sweet 16." There will be discussion about the games and a...

Pirates lose series finale to UAB

East Carolina wrapped up its American Conference series with UAB with an 11-4 loss on Sunday. Check out Pirate Radio Download our mobile app now! Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify ===== Photo credit: (ECU Sports...