ECU’s baseball team took Game 2 of its series with South Florida. Game 3 was halted due to rain and will be picked up on Sunday.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
The East Carolina Pirates (27-16-1, 11-6 American) solidified the series on Saturday afternoon against the South Florida Bulls (28-14, 7-10 American), but were unable to finish the second game of the doubleheader due to inclement weather. The finale of the series is currently suspended and will resume on Sunday, April 26, at 12:00 p.m. EST.
GAME ONE
South Florida threatened early, collecting two quick hits and placing a pair of runners on base with fewer than two outs in the opening frame. The Pirates’ defense, however, stood firm and stranded both runners to keep the game scoreless heading into the bottom half.
East Carolina capitalized with two outs in the first. Jack Herring laced a double down the left side, and Colby Wallace followed with a hard liner to center that forced a South Florida miscue, allowing Herring to score while Wallace advanced to third. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead after one inning of play.
The Pirates created another opportunity in the second, loading the bases with two outs via a walk, a hit-by-pitch and another walk, but were unable to add to their lead.
South Florida answered in the third, stringing together key at-bats. A one-out double to center sparked the rally, and after another hit and a walk, the Bulls loaded the bases with two outs. Matt Rose’s slow chopper to the right side brought in the tying run, evening the score at 1-1.
East Carolina responded emphatically in the bottom half of the inning. Jeff Sabater ignited a two-out rally after being hit by a pitch, and Walker Barron followed with his second home run of the weekend to give the Pirates a 3-1 advantage. Austin Irby kept the inning alive with a single, and Brayden Bachman reached on an error to put two on.
Nick Parham then delivered the decisive blow, launching a three-run homer, the second of his career, to break the game open. The Pirates continued to pour it on as Braden Burress singled, and Davin Whitaker walked before Herring drove in two more with his first career triple. Wallace capped the explosive inning with an RBI single, giving East Carolina a commanding 9-1 lead.
The Bulls chipped away in the fifth, scoring on an RBI single from Rose, but the Pirates answered in the bottom half. Consecutive singles from Burress, Whitaker and Herring set the table, and Wallace drew an RBI walk to extend the lead.
South Florida mounted another push in the sixth, scoring twice with two outs on a walk followed by three consecutive hits, but East Carolina limited the damage and maintained control.
The Pirates added two insurance runs in the seventh. Whitaker led off with a double, Herring was hit by a pitch, and Wallace delivered an RBI single. Barron later brought Herring home on a groundout to cap the scoring.
East Carolina secured the series victory with a 12-4 win, setting its sights on a potential sweep in the nightcap of the doubleheader.
GAME TWO
South Florida struck first in game two. Matt Rose was hit by a pitch to open the second inning, and Jackson Mirza followed with a triple to center field to give the Bulls their first lead of the weekend. Santiago Carriles added to the advantage with a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0.
The Pirates answered immediately in the bottom half. Jeff Sabater worked a leadoff walk before Matt Lashley, making his first start of the weekend, doubled to drive him in. Michael Kalinich followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2.
Austin Irby then provided a spark, blasting his first home run in over a month, an estimated 457-foot shot, to put East Carolina in front. Braden Burress kept the momentum going with a double, and with two outs, Jack Herring launched a two-run homer to extend the lead to 6-2.
Play was halted after the top of the third inning due to weather, resulting in a suspension of the game.
The series finale will resume at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 26. Fans who purchased tickets to the original Sunday game should use those tickets for entry to the remainder of the game being played on Sunday.