The ECU baseball team picked up a big win over Elon on Tuesday as a tuneup for the start of American Conference play.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
=====
Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
East Carolina (13-8-1) held off a late push from Elon (9-11) to secure a 4-3 midweek victory Tuesday evening at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Pirates built an early lead behind timely hitting and a strong start on the mound before weathering a three-run eighth inning from the Phoenix to seal the win.
East Carolina threatened early in the first inning when Austin Irby was hit by a pitch and Carlos Jacome followed with a double down the right field line to place two runners in scoring position. However, Elon escaped the jam to keep the game scoreless.
The Pirates broke through in the second inning with two-out production. Davin Whitaker sparked the rally with a double, and Walker Barron delivered with a clutch RBI double to left center to open the scoring. Braden Burress followed with a single to left field, plating Barron and extending the lead to 2-0.
ECU added to its advantage in the fourth inning as Colby Wallace launched his first home run of the season, a 362-foot shot to left field, pushing the Pirates ahead 3-0.
The offense struck again in the sixth. Whitaker reached with a single and later scored after Wallace and Barron each recorded base hits, with Barron driving in his second run of the night to give ECU a 4-0 cushion.
On the mound, Ryan Towers delivered his strongest outing in a Pirate uniform, earning the win after tossing 5.0 scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed just three hits while striking out five, marking season highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts. Towers kept Elon off balance throughout his outing, inducing consistent weak contact.
Elon mounted its lone offensive surge in the eighth inning, stringing together four hits to score three runs and cut the deficit to 4-3. The Phoenix capitalized on a triple and consecutive RBI hits to apply pressure late, but ECU turned to Sean Jenkins to halt the rally. Jenkins entered the inning and limited further damage before returning in the ninth to close the door.
Jenkins recorded his second save of the season, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to secure the victory.
Offensively, the Pirates were led by Wallace and Barron. Wallace went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, while Barron also finished 2-for-3 with a game-high two RBIs. Whitaker added a 2-for-4 performance with two runs scored, and Jacome contributed two doubles as part of ECU’s nine-hit effort. Burress chipped in with an RBI single in the second to help fuel the early momentum.
Defensively, the Pirates turned key double plays and limited Elon to 3-for-11 hitting with runners in scoring position, helping preserve the narrow victory.
East Carolina improves to 13-8-1 on the season and continues to build momentum heading into conference play, while Elon falls to 9-11.
The Pirates look ahead to conference play, starting on Friday, March 20, when they host UAB to kick off the conference and the race for first place.