Pirate hand No. 10 North Carolina first loss, Sunday winner takes series

DURHAM, N.C. – In front of a lively crowd of 6,397 at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the East Carolina Pirates delivered one of their biggest wins of the young season Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 10 North Carolina 10–3 in the Battle at the DBAP. The Pirates’ performance tonight marked the first loss on the Tar Heels’ record for the season.

The Pirates improved to 3-4 overall and continued a long-standing trend of success when scoring first, moving their all-time record to 309-66 in games where they strike first.

Early Spark Sets the Tone

East Carolina wasted no time grabbing momentum. Grady Lenahan opened the game with a sharp double to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Jack Herring brought him home with a hard-hit groundout through the left side. The run marked ECU’s first of the series and set the tone for a confident afternoon.

Behind starter Gavin Van Kempen, ECU’s defense immediately backed up the offense. Lenahan made a highlight-reel catch in center field to open the bottom of the first, while Austin Irby followed with a diving stop in the 3–4 hole and a strong throw to first to keep North Carolina off the board.

The Pirates extended their lead in the second inning. After Jack Vogele reached via hit-by-pitch and Colby Wallace lined a double into left field, Matthew Lashley executed a perfectly placed squeeze bunt that scored two runs and gave ECU a 3-0 cushion.

North Carolina answered in the third with a three-run homer to even the score, but ECU quickly regrouped and locked down the Tar Heel offense from there.

Pitching and Defense Keep Pirates Steady

Van Kempen settled in after the third inning, finishing with 4.1 innings of work, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out five. He gave way to Sean Jenkins, who delivered a dominant relief appearance.

Jenkins earned the win with 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out seven Tar Heels, the most an individual pitcher has sat down this season so far, and repeatedly escaping threats. Including a clutch strikeout with the go-ahead run on third in the fifth inning.

North Carolina managed only four hits in the game and went 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position as ECU pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.

Lenahan Leads Offensive Explosion

The Pirates broke the tie in emphatic fashion in the seventh inning. Walker Barron doubled to put a runner in scoring position, and after a sacrifice bunt moved him to third, Lenahan blasted his first career home run—a 369-foot shot—to center field to give ECU a 6-3 lead.

ECU added four more runs in the eighth inning to put the game away. Lashley singled to start the rally, Barron walked, and Braden Burress loaded the bases. Lenahan delivered again with a bases-clearing triple, becoming just a single shy of the cycle. Herring followed with an RBI single, and Irby added another hit as ECU sent multiple runners across and forced North Carolina to cycle through four pitchers in the inning.

Lenahan finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and six RBIs, leading a 15-hit Pirate attack. Herring went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, while Barron and Wallace each recorded two-hit performances.

Closing It Out

Jenkins continued his dominant outing into the ninth inning, striking out the side to seal the victory and complete ECU’s biggest win of the season so far. The Pirates will have the chance to take the series on Sunday, hopefully to relive 2024, the last time they were able to take the series from the Tar Heels.

The series is now split between the Pirates and the Tar Heels. The final game of the series will be in Chapel Hill, on UNC’s home turf. The first pitch for the finale of the series is set of 1:00 p.m. EST.