Behind a solid effort by Ethan Norby, the ECU baseball team began American Conference play with a win over UAB.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
=====
Photo credit: Ethan Norby (ECU Sports Information)
East Carolina (14-8-1, 1-0 American) opened conference play with a gritty 3-2 victory over UAB (13-9, 0-1 American) on Friday night at Lewis Field in Clark-LeClair Stadium, leaning on strong pitching and timely hitting to secure the win.
In a game defined by pitching and defensive plays, both teams threatened early. UAB put pressure on the Pirates in the opening innings with deep fly balls, but right fielder Davin Whitaker delivered a standout defensive performance, including a home run robbery in right-center that kept the Blazers off the scoreboard.
UAB broke through first in the top of the third inning, using a leadoff double and a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Whitaker recorded ECU’s first hit of the night with a single, and Grady Lenahan followed with a double to put runners in scoring position. Braden Burress then brought home the tying run with an RBI groundout, evening the score at 1-1.
East Carolina took the lead in the fourth inning. Jack Herring singled and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. With two outs, Colby Wallace delivered a clutch RBI single to left field on a 3-0 count, giving the Pirates a 2-1 advantage.
Starter Ethan Norby navigated through trouble in the fifth inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to preserve the lead. The right-hander turned in a strong outing, earning the win after tossing 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out six.
After a quiet stretch through the middle innings, ECU added an insurance run in the seventh. Carlos Jacome singled to start the inning and later came around to score on a two-out RBI single from Walker Barron, extending the lead to 3-1.
The Pirates’ defense continued to shine throughout the night, highlighted by Whitaker’s play in the outfield and a key infield double play that helped limit UAB’s opportunities. ECU also held the Blazers to 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 runners on base.
Out of the bullpen, Joseph Webb provided two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts, allowing just one hit.
UAB made things interesting in the ninth inning, capitalizing on an error and a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3-2. However, Sean Jenkins settled in and struck out three batters in the frame to secure his third save of the season.
Six different Pirates recorded hits in the win, with Wallace and Barron each delivering key two-out RBIs.
East Carolina will look to clinch the series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST.