ECU’s baseball team benefited from a big day by Davin Whitaker and the rest of the offense in a run-rule victory on Friday over South Florida.
The two teams play a doubleheader today at 2:30 p.m. to wrap up the series, which is wrapping up a day early due to the threat of bad weather on Sunday.
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Photo credit: Davin Whitaker (ECU Sports Information)
The East Carolina Pirates (26-16-1, 10-6 American) recorded their second run-rule of the week, overcoming the South Florida Bulls (28-13, 7-9 American) 11-1 in seven innings to lead the series.
The Pirates worked quickly to start in the first inning. Braden Burress leads off with a single, with Davin Whitaker handling one to move Burress to third. Jack Herring forced the Bulls’ shortstop with a miscue, but secured an RBI and a base to take the lead early on.
Although the second inning ran quiet for both the Bulls and the Pirates, the third inning showed off a little of the Pirate defense. Friday starter Ryan Towers throws to Austin Irby for a pick-off, and from Irby to Burress gets a successful caught stealing in the books to leave the Bulls with no baserunners in the top of the third.
In the bottom of the third, Burress has a long at-bat with a seven pitches to end on base with a hit-by-pitch. Whitaker gets up to bat with his second hit of the game, blasting a 416 foot home run deep into right center into the football practice field to score two, Pirates now up 3-0. But the pirates did not stop there.
Jeff Sabater started a two-out rally with a single up the middle, with Irby following right behind with a single to move Sabater to third. Walker Barron answers the two-outs with a no-doubter into left field, scoring all-three baserunners. Wanting in on the fun, Michael Kalinich hits the third home run of the inning to wrap up the rally, scoring a total of six runs on five hits.
The last time the Pirates hit back-to-back home runs was in their homestand against Charlotte, where Barron and Matt Lashley helped aid the Pirates to a come-from-behind victory on April 3.
South Florida stays quiet for the fourth inning in a row, leaving their first runner on third base stranded.
With South Florida’s new pitcher, the Pirates still found a way. Whitaker singles to the right side on an 0-2 count on one out. Herring has a disciplined at bat to walk, posting two runners on with one out. Wallace loads the bases with his first hit of the day for Sabater. With a pass ball on the South Florida catcher, the bases are loaded no more by Whitaker taking his chance to score, now making it 8-0. Sabater finishes at bat with what he does best, singling up the middle, and scoring both Herring and Wallace, marking the end of the inning with the scoreboard up 10-0.
The Pirates found some trouble in the fifth, but nothing they could not handle. In his fifth inning pitched, Ryan Towers finds himself with bases loaded with two outs. With a pinch hitter in for South Florida, Towers sits him down in four pitches with his fifth strikeout of the night, keeping the Bulls shut out.
After a quick turnaround to the bottom of the sixth, Whitaker decides to not have just one, but two home runs in the game, killing both homers over the scoreboard, the first measuring at 416 feet, and hits second of the game measuring at 410 feet. The Pirates end the sixth with a comfortable 11-0 lead.
With that extra insurance run in the sixth by Whitaker, the Pirates still were able to solidify the run-rule, although missing the shutout with the final score of 11-1, with the Bull’s late effort in the seventh, dodging a shutout.
The Pirates were led offensively by Whitaker, going 4-for-4 with two blasts with three runs and three RBI. Sabater just behind going 3-for-4 having two RBI. Kalinich and Barron both notching homers, with Burress, Wallace and Irby totaling the Pirates to 12 hits.
Towers wears the win for his performance tonight, going a full 5.0 innings giving up four hits and no runs on the day. Facing 22 batters, he struck out five and only gave up two walks. Ethan Rose came in to relieve Towers, finishing the last 2.0 innings of the game, having two hits, one strikeout and gave up the one run on the Day for the Bulls.
The Pirates move ahead in the series, looking to solidify the weekend win tomorrow.
Due to the projected weather, the schedule has changed to a double header on Saturday, with the first pitch of game one set for 2:30 p.m. The second game on Saturday is set to start 45 minutes after game one has concluded.