ECU will face UTSA in the American Conference championship after disposing of Wichita State one game after losing to the Roadrunners. The title game is at noon.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
=====
Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 2 East Carolina Pirates (35-22-1) secured a conference title spot for the second year with a 13-3 run-rule victory over No. 7 Wichita State (31-29), aiming to reclaim the tournament title against No. 1 UTSA.
The Pirates opened strong, as Grady Lenahan singled through the left side. A Shockers miscue let Lenahan reach third, while Jack Herring stayed at first.
Braden Burress is off to a hot start as well, bunting an RBI single to put the Pirates in the lead with no outs.
As the second inning began, the Pirates kept climbing. Leadoff batter Austin Irby forced a walk and advanced to third after a second miscue by Wichita State. A wild pitch allowed Irby to safely reach home, putting the Pirates up by two.
Moving into the third inning, East Carolina came alive. Burress led off with a triple into right-center, gaining momentum. Pinch-hitter Michael Kalinich followed with a liner up the middle, scoring Burress for another run. Davin Whitaker then reached base after being hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.
Wallace sacrificed a bunt to move the runners into scoring position, posting only one out in the inning so far.
Irby once again up, able to make his way on for a second time, firing a ball down the right field line, ruling a ground-rule double, but scoring both runs to up the Pirates 5-0.
In the fourth inning, Wichita State finally saw some action, scoring their first run with a sequence of walk, wild pitch, wild pitch, and sacrifice fly. The score is now 5-1.
Still in the fourth, the Pirates responded in Pirate fashion, beginning with Herring reaching base on a walk. Burress continued his impressive night with a single, resulting in two runners on. Kalinich then loaded the bases with a walk, setting up Colby Wallace to crank a base-clearing double into right-center, increasing their lead to 8-1.
Wichita State had one more push offensively in the fifth before being shut down for the rest of the night. With the first hit recorded for Wichita State, the single scored two on the play, totaling three runs for the Shockers.
As the game progressed into later innings, the Pirates started grooving toward a run rule. With back-to-back walks by Kalinich and Whitaker, Walker Barron ripped his first hit of the day to score two, pushing the Pirates into double digits on the scoreboard.
In the seventh inning, Burress doubled for his third hit of the day, just a home run short of a cycle. Kalinich then set up and brought him home, tallying 11-3 for the Pirates.
In the eighth, hard work paid off for ECU. Pinch hitter Matt Lashley struck a ball up the middle to put a base runner on for the Pirates.
Lenahan then solidified the fate of the Pirates in the eighth, walking off the game in a run-rule with a monster blast to left field, posting the final score of 13-3 in eight innings.
Kalinich once again shows his confidence as a pinch hitter, going 2-for-2 with three runs, two RBI and two walks. Burress led the team offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double, triple and a single. Lenahan stole the show with his walk-off homer late in the night, bringing the Pirates to a rematch against the UTSA Roadrunners.
The American Conference Championship Game with your No.2 ECU Pirates against No.1 UTSA Roadrunners is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.
=====
No. 2 East Carolina Falls to No. 1 UTSA
The East Carolina Pirates (34-22-1) gave a back-and-forth effort, but ultimately fell against UTSA (38-19) with a low-scoring game of 4-2. ECU is set to play its second game tonight, either against No. 7 Wichita State or No. 4 UAB, depending on the winner of Game 10 of the bracket.
The matchup opened with UTSA making an immediate impact. Drew Detlefesen put the Roadrunners on the board with a homer in the bottom of the first, scoring the only run of the inning and giving UTSA a 1-0 lead.
Tension built as the Roadrunners began with a lead-off runner in the second, putting pressure on the Pirates. With only one out and the bases loaded, ECU’s defense responded. Jack Herring tracked a short fly ball in right field, then threw home for a double play to end the inning without allowing a run.
The Pirates found their rhythm in the third. Grady Lenahan drew a walk with one out and stole second, marking ECU’s first runner in scoring position. Braden Burress singled to center, bringing Lenahan home and tying the game.
UTSA quickly answered in the third. After a hit-by-pitch, the runner advanced to third base with two outs. Catcher Andrew Stucky hit a ball for a fielder’s choice, allowing UTSA to regain the lead, 2-1.
The game remained competitive as Walker Barron singled in the fourth, followed by Nick Parham, putting two runners on base. When Grady Lenahan singled with two outs, the Pirates tied the game again in the middle innings.
UTSA responded immediately after the Pirates tied the game. A ground out RBI gave UTSA the lead for the third time in the game. Despite two outs, Detlefesen singled and drove in another run, increasing ECU’s deficit to two, which the Pirates couldn’t overcome.
The score remained unchanged over the next five innings as both teams played solid defense. UTSA left nine runners stranded while ECU left eight. The Pirates outhit the Roadrunners six to four. ECU’s pitching staff allowed seven hit-by-pitches and five walks, contributing to UTSA’s opportunities.
Burress and Barron both tallied two hits on the day, with Parham and Lenahan tallying the last two for the Pirates.
ECU now drops into the loser’s bracket of the American Conference Tournament and will be back in action approximately 47 minutes after the conclusion of No. 7 Wichita State vs. No. 4 UAB. The Pirates’ opponent tonight will be the winner of the 2:05 p.m. game.