ECU’s Ethan Norby had an immaculate inning, throwing nine pitches that resulted in strikes in Friday’s win over UTSA.
Ethan Norby with the immaculate inning 🤟🏼🏴☠️ https://t.co/oZEAEMhrXA pic.twitter.com/Fx99YwM0qc
— ECU Baseball (@ECUBaseball) March 28, 2026
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Photo credit: Ethan Norby (ECU Sports Information)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The East Carolina Pirates (16-10-1, 3-1 American) opened their road conference series in dominant fashion Friday night, shutting out the UTSA Roadrunners (18-8, 2-2 American) 3-0 at Roadrunner Field. The victory marked ECU’s first road shutout of the season, fueled by a historic outing on the mound and timely early offense.
The Pirates wasted no time applying pressure in the top of the first. Braden Burress and Jack Herring drew back-to-back walks to open the game, and Grady Lenahan reached on a UTSA fielding error to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Colby Wallace put the ball in play, driving in Burress on a fielder’s choice to give ECU a 1-0 advantage.
East Carolina added to its lead in the third inning with a string of quality at-bats. Lenahan led off with a single before Austin Irby followed with a base hit through the right side, moving Lenahan to third. Wallace delivered again with an RBI single to right-center, plating Lenahan and advancing Irby to third. Davin Whitaker then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing Irby home and extending the lead to 3-0.
While the offense provided early support, the story of the night belonged to right-hander Ethan Norby. The junior turned in a career performance, tossing 7.0 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out a season-high 12 batters. Norby navigated multiple tense moments, including a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, where he induced a groundout to strand all three runners and preserve the shutout.
In the fourth inning, Norby etched his name into program lore by recording an immaculate inning, striking out the side on nine pitches, the first of the Cliff Godwin era.
Joseph Webb entered in relief and closed the door over the final two innings, allowing just one hit while securing his first save of the season. The duo combined for a two-hit shutout, marking ECU’s first combined two-hitter since March 2024.
Defensively, the Pirates were sharp throughout, highlighted by a key outfield assist from Carlos Jacome in the third inning to erase a scoring threat and maintain momentum.
At the plate, ECU totaled eight hits on the night. Burress and Wallace led the way with two hits apiece, while Wallace drove in two of the Pirates’ three runs. Herring, Lenahan, Irby, and Jacome each added a hit in the balanced offensive effort.
The Pirates will look to secure the series on Saturday, March 28, with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST.