The ECU baseball team closed out its series with Penn with a dramatic 8-7 win on Sunday.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
Michael Kalinich’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the 10th gave East Carolina an 8-7 walk-off win over Penn Sunday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win, the Pirates improve to 12-8-1 while the Quakers fell to 3-10.
With the score tied at seven-all going to the bottom of the 10th, Kalinich pinch hit for Grady Lenahan and took a 1-1 offering from Nick Newburn to deep centerfield for the series win and capping a 4-1 week for the Pirates.
Brett Antolick (2-1) earned the win in relief tossing two scoreless frames allowing three hits, a walk and striking out three. Starter Colby Webber worked two innings in his fourth start of the year registering one strikeout while walking one before leaving the game early. ECU would use four additional pitchers to get to Antolick using Nick Moran (0.0 IP, 3 Rs), Gavin Marley (1.1 IP, 1 R, 2 Ks), Ethan Rose (2.2 IP, 1 R, 1 K) and Joseph Webb (2.0 IP, 2 Rs, 4 Ks).
Newburn (0-1) suffered the loss allowing Kalinich’s home run over one inning of work with a walk. Starter Thomas Shurtleff surrendered five runs (all earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Aidan von Suben worked two innings allowing two runs (both earned) on two hits with three free passes.
Colby Wallace plated the game’s first run in the bottom of the second with an RBI single to shallow right field that scored Devin Whitaker from second. With two outs, Whitaker doubled down the right field line and came around on Wallace’s base knock.
Trailing 1-0 in the third frame, Ryan Taylor took a first pitch offering from Moran to right field tying the contest at one-all. Michael Powell and Jay Secretarski drew consecutive before Marley entered the game and three batters later, Qwynn Ahearn belted a three-run shot to right field for a 4-1 advantage.
The Pirates pulled within one, 4-3, thanks to Jack Herring’s fourth home run of the season to right field. With one away, Matt Lashley drew a walk and came around to score on Herring’s two-run blast.
Powell extended the Quakers lead to 5-3 with an RBI single through the right side in the seventh stanza. Taylor doubled down the right field line to get things going and came home on Powell’s lone hit of the game.
Whitaker tied the game at five-all in the home half of the seventh inning with a two-run shot to right field. Carlos Jacome was hit by a pitch to open the frame before Whitaker deposited an 0-2 offering over the right field wall from Shurtleff.
Offensively, the Pirates registered 10 hits getting two from Braden Burress and Whitaker. Herring, Whitaker and Colby Wallace each plated a pair of runs, while Herring, Whitaker and Kalinich each hit home runs.
ECU returns to action on Tuesday, March 17 when it plays host to Elon with a 6 p.m. schedules first pitch.