Alex Bouche wasn’t joking when he hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to power the East Carolina baseball team to a 10-6 victory over UNC Wilmington on April Fool’s Day.
The win on Tuesday put the Pirates at 19-10 overall going into Wednesday’s home game with Elon, slated for 6 p.m.
Buccaneer Scoreboard – You Can Paint This One Purple! ECU Baseball over UNCW in 10 innings courtesy of an Alex Boucher grand slam and some clutch Pirate pitching. pic.twitter.com/xeh2kq64PJ
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 2, 2025
Below is a full report from ECU Sports Information. Other videos not from ECU baseball are from Pirate Radio.
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Photo credit: Alex Bouche (ECU Sports Information photo)
WILMINGTON, N.C. – After watching host UNCW rally from an early 4-0 deficit to send Tuesday night’s contest into extra innings, East Carolina loaded up the bases with one out and Alex Bouche promptly unloaded them for the game-winning grand slam in the Pirates’ 10-6 victory at Brooks Field.
🏴☠️⚾️💪 Good night, Wilmington. ECU Baseball with the 10-6 win in extra innings. Thanks to Alex Boucher’s grand slam in the 10th, we’re painting this one purple. pic.twitter.com/y8hPfIk2mV
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 2, 2025
Neither side committed an error, but the clubs combined to issue 20 walks in the over four-hour affair.
ECU (19-10) has now won 12 of its last 14 in advance of a five-game homestand that begins Wednesday night versus Elon at 6 p.m. The Seahawks (14-15) took the first meeting of the campaign back on March 18 in Fayetteville, setting up a season series rubber game a few weeks from now in Greenville.
🏴☠️📸 Game Day Pics by Michels & Gauquie https://t.co/h4axvytx1k – Pirate Nation enjoying a picture perfect sunset in Wilmington as ECU Baseball takes on UNCW. See all of today’s fan pics here – https://t.co/BwWbGOXY1H pic.twitter.com/6OsFhhCy1H
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
Redshirt freshman outfielder Kenan Bowman enjoyed a career day, going 4-for-4 with an additional walk while Bouche finished his outing with two hits and five RBI. A trio of UNCW batters each registered a hit and drove in a pair of runs.
🏴☠️⚾️💦 High. Quality. H2O. Alex Boucher with the grand slam in extra innings to give ECU Baseball the 10-6 victory over UNCW. pic.twitter.com/Tuiy3g8tnu
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 2, 2025
Ethan Young (3-0) earned his third victory of the season with a stout relief effort, throwing the final four innings and allowing just two earned runs on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Cyle Phelan (1-2) was saddled with the loss after surrendering four runs and walking three batters in just one frame of work.
Absolutely electric⚡️⚡️@bouche_alex https://t.co/2bKnFZyPja pic.twitter.com/jqUhpe6a2u
— ECU Baseball (@ECUBaseball) April 2, 2025
The Pirates jumped all over Seahawk starter Jack Gibson who walked both Dixon Williams and Braden Burress to begin the top of the first. Colby Wallace followed with a single to left that filled the bases before Ryley Johnson put ECU on the board with a sacrifice fly. Walker Barron then delivered a sac fly of his own to make it 2-0 and Austin Irby pushed the lead to three by lacing an RBI double to right. Bowman capped off the inning with a run-scoring single that left the Pirates ahead 4-0.
🏴☠️⚾️💦 The Water Boy Alex Boucher with the RBI double to make it 5-2 ECU Baseball over UNCW heading to the 5th inning. pic.twitter.com/QWs6pHb5xk
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
UNCW capitalized on a trio of walks in the bottom of the second and scored a pair off a two-run single by Aidan Evans, but Lance Williams would strand the bases loaded by inducing a lazy fly ball to center that kept East Carolina on the front foot.
🏴☠️⚾️Ian White Jr takes over for Jaden Winter in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Pirates lead 4-0. pic.twitter.com/7khcrferdj
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
Back-to-back one-out doubles by Bowman and Bouche pushed the Pirate advantage to 5-2, but a two-run homer off the bat of Mac Gillespie in the home half of the sixth drew the hosts within a single tally. Jack Herring came through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the seventh that saw ECU re-establish a two-run cushion and the Pirates were able to hold the Seahawks off until Ryker Galaska tied things up with a two-run shot of his own in the eighth.
🏴☠️⚾️ Beautiful evening in Wilmington. ECU Baseball up 4-0 on UNCW in the second inning. pic.twitter.com/KOt7M7ZgTI
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
Neither side scratched the scoreboard in the ninth, sending the game to the 10th where Barron, Michael Kalinich and Bowman all drew free passes to load the bases for Bouche who took an 0-1 pitch and drilled it well over the wall in right center for the grand slam and the knockout blow. Young breezed through the UNCW side in order in the home portion of the 10th to seal the win.
🏴☠️⚾️ ECU Baseball vs UNCW underway in Wilmington. pic.twitter.com/MVmAJRcHkU
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
🏴☠️⚾️ Jaden Winter on the bump tonight for ECU Baseball vs UNCW. pic.twitter.com/hhAs05IhDs
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
- The Pirates defeated the Seahawks in Wilmington for the second-straight season and now lead the all-time series by an 85-65 count.
- Bouche’s grand slam was the fourth for East Carolina this year alone after the Pirates did not register one in all of the 2024 campaign.
- ECU improved to 5-3 in midweek games this season with wins over Old Dominion, Gardner-Webb, VCU (twice) and UNCW.
🏴☠️⚾️ ECU Baseball on the field in Wilmington warming up for tonight’s midweek road game against UNCW. pic.twitter.com/tfAg38e3E5
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) April 1, 2025
- The Pirates recorded exactly 10 hits for the fifth time in their last six games and own 13 such efforts this year. East Carolina also remained unbeaten at 8-0 when scoring 10 or more runs in an outing.
- Bowman is the second ECU batter to produce a four-hit effort this season, joining Burress who did so just a week ago at Duke.
- Williams and Burress have now reached base safely in 25 and 17 consecutive games, respectively.