The ECU baseball team dropped a 6-3 decision on Sunday to Tulane. The Pirates dropped the series, also losing on Friday while winning on Saturday.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
NEW ORLEANS – The East Carolina Pirates (22-14-1, 7-5 American) lost to the Tulane Green Wave (19-18, 6-6 American) in Sunday’s rubber match. ECU led briefly at the beginning but could not catch up and ultimately lost, 6-3.
The Pirates waste no time getting on the board in the first. Grady Lenahan comes up to the plate with two outs and knocks one off the scoreboard. This is Lenahan’s first hit of the series and the Pirates’ first time scoring first on the weekend. Jack Herring gets a hold of one, but the Tulane left fielder robs the homer over the fence.
The Green Wave started hot as well in the first. With a leadoff single, the baserunner was able to make his way to third base with a stolen base and a miscue by the Pirate defense. Although a run was scored for Tulane, ECU kicked it back into gear with a double play and a groundout for three to finish the inning with minimal damage.
The Pirates are fully able to bounce back from the first inning with Michael Kalinich up with two outs. The now designated hitter gave a performance on the weekend with a 0-2 blast to right field to put ECU ahead once again, 2-1.
With no response in the third for the Green Wave, the Pirates are back toward the top of the lineup with Lenahan leading off with a single to left field, batting 2-for-2 on the day so far. Herring forces his 29th walk of the season to put two on. Colby Wallace uses a sacrifice bunt with no outs to move Lenahan and Herring both into scoring position. With a fielder’s choice grounder, the Tulane defense is able to tag Lenahan before scoring, but Lashley is able to put himself in scoring position. The Pirates still have two on with two outs. With a wild pitch through the catcher, Herring is able to score to gain some insurance for the Pirates.
ECU leads 3-1 after the fourth.
Tulane is given an opportunity coming into the bottom of the fourth. The Green Wave was able to get a hold of a double, with a ground out to move the runner to third with two outs. Kaikea Harrison was able to get that run home with a single, closing the deficit to just one. Having a stolen base from Harrison to get to second, Tanner Chun gets Harrison home from second to tie the game for the second time. Hugh Pinkney comes up with two outs and hits a single up the middle to give the go-ahead run on second to score. Tulane now takes the lead 3-4. The Pirates get out of the inning with a fly-out to stop the bleeding.
ECU defense were able to force a double play in the fifth to end the inning with no harm from Tulane.
At the top of the sixth, left fielder Jeff Sabater, in for Lenahan on injury, had first at bat of the day with a stand-up double into left center for the Pirates with no outs, tying run on second. With a productive out from Herring, Sabater makes his way to third for the Pirates with less than two outs. ECU was unable to pull through to gain a run to tie the game, with Sabater being thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice from Wallace, and Lashley was unable to answer as well, hitting into an out.
Tulane was able to see some movement after two innings with no runs, with a double down the right field line to put a runner in scoring position with one out. With a failed pickoff attempt that resulted in an error, the Green Wave now had insurance 90 feet away. And Tulane answers on that momentum with a double down the left field line from Tye Wood to score another run. With a hit-by-pitch, the Green Wave now has two on. Matthias Haas keeps the inning going with two outs, singling to center field, and scores Wood, now 3-6. Alex Bouche comes in to pitch with bases loaded and two outs, getting out of the inning with a ground out.
With two more chances left, Jeff Sabater is able to gain a base in the eighth with a chopper single to the left side with two outs. Herring drew his second walk on the day for a chance to score at least one, but the opportunity was not fulfilled.
Pinch-hitter Brayden Bachman drew a two-out walk in the ninth. However, the Pirates were unable to execute, leaving the Pirates behind the Green Wave 3-6.
Lenahan, before having to sub out due to injury in the fourth, went 2-for-2 on the day with one home run in the first. Sabater, who took his place in the lineup, also went 2-for-2, having a double and a single.
Kalinich had a weekend for the Pirates, batting 5-for-11 on the weekend with two home runs, one marking his first career grand slam, and accounting for two runs on the weekend.
ECU will now look ahead to Tuesday, when they will host NC State for the first time this year. First pitch on April 14 is set for 6:00 p.m. EST.