ECU rally falls short in series opener with Florida Atlantic

by | Apr 5, 2025

The East Carolina baseball team got its series with Florida Atlantic off to a rocky start.

The Pirates dropped their first AAC contest on Friday at Clark-LeClair Stadium, 6-5.

Below is a report from ECU Sports Information. Videos are from Pirate Radio.

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Photo credit: Jake Hunter (ECU Sports Information)

By ECUPirates.com

Florida Atlantic hit three home runs to account for almost all its offense Friday as the visitors held off East Carolina 6-5 to open an American Athletic Conference series inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates (20-11, 6-1 AAC) had the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but MJ Bollinger mustered up a strikeout to lock down his sixth save of the campaign. Trey Beard (5-0) remained undefeated, throwing seven innings and allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Ethan Norby (4-3) was tagged with the loss as he was charged with five runs on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in 4.1 frames.

Colby Wallace racked up a team-best three hits and drove in three runs while Braden Burress was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Marshall Lipsey was the offensive spark plug at the top of the FAU (21-9, 3-4 AAC) lineup, finishing the contest with a pair of home runs and four RBI.

Lipsey gave the Owls a 1-0 lead on the first pitch of the game, sending it out to center where it tipped off the ECU center fielder’s glove and over the wall. The Pirates had the answer against the Florida Atlantic ace, tallying single runs over the first three innings to assume a 3-1 advantage. Wallace was responsible for two of those tallies via a RBI single in the first and a double in the third that plated Dixon Williams from second.

The Owls hit two more home runs as a part of a four-run fourth inning as Lipsey provided the big blow with a three-run shot that gave his team a lead it would not relinquish. FAU notched one more in the sixth frame to extend the cushion to 6-3.

East Carolina showed some life in the bottom of the eighth as Burress worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a one-out infield single off the bat of Kenan Bowman. Braxton Tramel then pounded an 0-1 pitch to left for a double that scored Buress and left two runners in scoring position with one out. Bollinger was up to the task, keeping the visitors ahead with a strikeout and sharp liner to third.

The Pirates put up one last push in the bottom of the ninth. Michael Kalinich worked a one-out walk before Burress and Wallace both lined two-out singles to right and left that sent pinch runner Chance Hall across home plate to cut the FAU lead to 6-5. Jack Herring got ahead 3-1 but Bollinger got him swinging on two-straight pitches to end the game.

Postgame Notes Graphic

  • Florida Atlantic evened the all-time series at four games apiece in its first-ever appearance in Greenville.
  • ECU fell to 13-6 at home and entered the contest having won seven straight inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
  • The clubs combined to go 8-for-24 with runners in scoring position while the Owls plated five two-out RBI.
  • Burress posted his team-best 13th multi-hit effort of the season. He has also reached base in 19-straight games while Williams extended his own such streak to 27.

Up Next: East Carolina and Florida Atlantic continue the series Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT

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