Pirates Break Out Bats For Elon
February 26, 2003 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Luke Cherry drove in a career-high five runs with two doubles as East Carolina defeated Elon, 8-3, in college baseball action on Wednesday at Harrington Field.
The win improves the Pirates' record to 5-3. Elon, which had entered the game with a seven-game win streak, falls to 7-3.
The Phoenix jumped on ECU starter Neal Sears (1-0) for three runs on four hits in the first two innings. Chris Price had an RBI double and Barry Tejeda hit an RBI single to stake Elon to a 2-0 lead in the first. The Phoenix made it 3-0 when Paul Bennett led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Price.
However, ECU stormed back to tie the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the second thanks in part to two Elon errors. Cherry hit a two-run double and came around to score when Ben Sanderson hit a ball to Elon shortstop Brian Ingram, who threw errantly to first.
Sears, meanwhile, settled in and shut the Phoenix down over the next three innings. He allowed just one hit past the second inning and finished off five complete innings, striking out five and walking one.
A three-run third put the Pirates ahead for good. Ryan Norwood walked, Mark Minicozzi reached on a fielder's choice, and Jake Smith walked to set things up for Cherry, who cleared the bases with a hard-hit ball to the gap in left center that bounced on the warning track.
ECU made it 7-3 in the fourth on Jason Tourangeau's RBI single, and tacked on its final run in the seventh when Ben Sanderson led off with a walk, stole second, and later scored on Darryl Lawhorn's sacrifice fly.
"It was just a matter of time until we broke out," ECU head coach Randy Mazey said of his team's offensive performance. "It wasn't a great day to hit, but we made some good adjustments, hit the ball the other way, and got some timely hits. The story of our season is going to be pitching and playing defense and then waiting for that [offense] to happen, and fortunately it happened today."
Tourangeau had three hits for the Pirates. Gary Morris was 3-for-4 for the Phoenix.
Elon starter Brian Hensen (2-1) was touched for five hits and six runs in three innings. Three of the runs, however, were unearned.
Three ECU pitchers--Jason Neitz, Glenn Tucker, and Greg Bunn--combined to limit Elon to no runs and just two hits over the final four innings.
The Pirates open a three-game home series against Delaware on Friday at 3 p.m.
Postgame Notes:
