Penny Pitches Pirates Past Appalachian, 9-0
March 08, 2003 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Davey Penny scattered three hits over seven shutout innings and East Carolina pounded out 14 hits as the Pirates blanked Appalachian State, 9-0, on Saturday at Harrington Field.
The shutout victory is the second of the season for ECU, which improves to 9-4-1. Appalachian State saw its modest two-game win streak halted and falls to 2-8.
Darryl Lawhorn drove in three runs and hit his fourth home run of the season and Ryan Jones went 2-for-3 with three RBI to pace the Pirates at the plate.
Penny improved his record to 2-2 by turning in his second straight seven-inning shutout performance in as many starts. The senior right-hander struck out seven and issued only one walk. Freshman Jason Neitz pitched the final two innings without allowing a base runner to complete the combined shutout.
"When Davey pitches well, he keeps his fastball down and throws his slider for strikes," ECU head coach Randy Mazey said. "He's been doing that the last couple of games and has two wins to show for it."
Following a trend that has developed this season, the Pirates did not get their bats going until midway of the game.
ECU grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jamie Paige led off with a double, then scored when Lawhorn's fly to center field was dropped by ASU's Ty Racette.
The Pirates made it 2-0 in the fourth when Brian Cavanaugh got on board with a two-out single and then scored on Jones' hard double to right field.
However, it was not until the fifth inning that East Carolina grabbed a firm command of the game, plating three runs on four hits, including Lawhorn's two-run homer. Cavanaugh also drove in a run with a double to extend the lead to 5-0.
ECU added an additional run in the sixth and blew it open with a three-run seventh.
ASU's Nick Peterson (1-3) absorbed the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits over five innings.
The two teams meet again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Postgame Notes:
