Pirates blank Tribe, 12-0; Parker Byrd gets first college hit

by | Mar 15, 2025

The East Carolina baseball team got a complete-game effort from pitcher Ethan Norby and the offense banged out 12 hits, including the first college hit for Parker Byrd. It was all part of a magical night that saw the Pirates blank William & Mary, 12-0.

The two teams wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. The schedule changed due to the threat of bad weather on Sunday.

Below is a full report from ECU Sports Information with videos from Pirate Radio.

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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information photo)

By ECUPirates.com

East Carolina sophomore LHP Ethan Norby tossed a complete-game shutout while the offense backed him with 12 runs and 12 hits in a 12-0 seven-inning win over William & Mary Friday evening inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates (10-8) notched their third run-rule win of the campaign and have scored double-digit runs in three consecutive contests. ECU was also the first Tribe (5-13) opponent to throw a shutout as Norby (2-2) limited the visitors to just five hits. William & Mary entered the weekend hitting .317 as a team and averaging 10.6 hits per game.

The top of the Pirate lineup did most of the damage. Braden Burress, Dixon Williams and John Collins registered two hits apiece while combining for seven runs scored and eight RBI. Williams and Collins also went yard for the fifth and fourth time this year, respectively. Leadoff batter Ben Parker logged two of the Tribe’s five base knocks.

After collecting his first collegiate RBI via a sacrifice fly in Wednesday’s win at VCU, Parker Byrd notched his first career hit in the bottom of the sixth, ripping a first-pitch single to third base. Fans may remember that Byrd made his collegiate debut in the 2024 season opener and became one of the few student-athletes to ever play in a Division I baseball game wearing a prosthetic after losing part of his leg in a horrendous boating accident in 2022.

Carter Lovasz (1-2) took the loss on the mound, surrendering 10 runs on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Norby also fanned six batters against two walks in the seven shutout frames.

Parker singled up the middle on the first pitch of the game but was picked off with one out, leaving the bases empty for Christian Rush who flied out to left to end the initial half inning. Burress drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame and Dixon Williams wasted little time in drilling a first pitch offering over the wall in left to make it 2-0.

Collins kept his torrid offensive pace going in the bottom of the third, connecting on a 2-1 pitch and sending it sailing into the left center Jungle for a two-run shot that pushed the East Carolina advantage to four. The Pirates quickly put the game away in the bottom of the fourth with a seven spot. Williams began the scoring with a two run ground rule double before Collins followed with a sharp two-run single up the middle. Davin Whitaker then lifted a ball high up into the night sky that fell on the infield for an RBI double and Austin Irby capped the outburst with a run-scoring single through the right side, leaving ECU ahead 11-0. Michael Kalinich put the exclamation point on the evening with his first career home run that provided the final 12-run margin.

Postgame Notes Graphic

  • East Carolina won its third-straight game by double digits and is now 5-0 when scoring at least 10 runs in a contest.
  • The Pirates improved to 7-5 at Clark-LeClair Stadium this season.
  • ECU posted eight two-out RBI and was 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
  • The Pirates did not commit an error defensively for the fourth time in their last six outings.
  • Williams extended his current hitting streak to five games and has reached base safely in 14-straight contests.

Up Next: East Carolina and William & Mary conclude the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Game two of the twinbill will start approximately 45 minutes after the final out of game one.

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