The ECU baseball team got its season finale series with Florida Atlantic off on the right foot with a win in Thursday’s opener.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The East Carolina Pirates (31-21-1, 15-10 American) held off a late push from the Florida Atlantic Owls (28-25, 12-13 American) Thursday night, securing a 7-5 victory in the series opener at FAU Baseball Stadium.
The Pirates wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard in the first inning. Grady Lenahan opened the night with a single up the middle before Jack Herring drew a four-pitch walk, extending his on-base streak to 52 consecutive games. After Braden Burress reached on a fielder’s choice to put Lenahan at third, Davin Whitaker lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home the game’s first run and give ECU an early 1-0 advantage.
Florida Atlantic answered in the second after capitalizing on a Pirate defensive miscue. With runners aboard for the second straight inning, Brando Leroux delivered a sacrifice fly to even the score at 1-1.
Both pitching staffs settled in over the next three innings before ECU turned to small ball in the sixth to regain the lead. Colby Wallace led off with his second hit of the night before pinch-hitter Brayden Bachman singled to place two runners on with no outs. Austin Irby then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. One batter later, Walker Barron executed a perfectly placed suicide squeeze, allowing Wallace to score and push the Pirates back in front, 2-1.
The Pirate defense came through in a crucial moment during the seventh inning. After FAU placed a runner aboard with no outs, Herring tracked down a hard line drive in right field and quickly fired to first baseman Austin Irby to complete a momentum-shifting double play.
ECU added valuable insurance in the eighth behind Wallace and Bachman. Wallace battled back from a 0-2 count before lining his third leadoff single of the game into right field. Bachman followed with a towering two-run homer to left-center, extending the Pirates’ lead to 4-1.
The Owls refused to go quietly in the bottom half of the inning. After Matt Lashley opened the inning with a web-gem, Brett Patton delivered FAU’s first extra-base hit of the night with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Owls later added another run, but a caught stealing by Barron, assisted by Lashley and Irby, helped ECU escape the inning still in front, 4-3.
The Pirates responded immediately in the ninth with three critical insurance runs. Burress worked a full-count walk before Davin White recorded his first hit of the night with a single to right field. Wallace was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting the stage for pinch hitter Michael Kalinich, who ripped a two-run double into the left-center gap. Irby added another run with a sacrifice RBI to stretch the lead to 7-3.
Florida Atlantic mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth, scoring twice on a sacrifice fly and an infield miscue to pull within two runs. However, Wallace came on to close the door and secure the Pirates’ victory, snapping FAU’s streak of winning series openers.
The ECU offense produced timely contributions throughout the lineup. Lenahan and Wallace each finished with three hits, while Wallace scored three runs. Bachman delivered a huge spark off the bench, going 2-for-2 with a two-run homer, and Kalinich drove in two runs in his lone at-bat of the evening. Together, Bachman and Kalinich combined for four RBI.
Ryan Towers earned the win after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out four. Gavin Marley provided a strong effort out of the bullpen, matching a career high with 3.0 innings pitched and four strikeouts. Wallace picked up the save after recording the final two outs of the game.
With the win, East Carolina improves to 15-10 in conference play and moves within one game of first-place UTSA in the American Athletic Conference standings.
The Pirates will look to clinch the series Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.