Purple Captures World Series Title, 12-5
October 11, 2007 | Baseball
Game 2 Box Score (PDF) l Purple Team Stats (PDF) l Gold Team Stats (PDF)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Junior Justin Bristow went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and scored four runs as the Purple squad defeated the Gold 12-5 to capture the 2007 Purple/Gold World Series Championship Thursday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Harrison Eldridge lead off the frame with a walk and crossed home when Bristow took a Brad Mincey pitch deep to left field that one-hopped Charles Boulevard to give the Purple (2-0) a 3-2 lead. With one-out, the Purple put up two more runs in the inning when Austin Homan singled up the middle putting the score at 5-2.
The Gold (0-2) answered back in the top of the fourth with three runs of their own to knot the game at five. With two outs, Dustin Harrington doubled up the middle and Trent Ashcraft followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners for Jamie Ray. Ray reached on a throwing error, which plated Harrington and Ryan Wood followed Ray's at-bat with a single to left field scoring Ashcraft and cutting the lead to 5-4. Drew Schieber reached first on the second infield error of the frame scoring Ray to tie the game.
Josh Ruhlman (1-0) picked up the win working three innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two strikeouts. Purple starter Britton Cole also worked three innings, surrendering two runs (both earned) on four hits. Bailey Daniels pitched a perfect seventh frame allowing one hit to secure the win.
Mincey fell to 0-1 on the fall season after allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits with five walks in 2 1/3 innings. Harrington also worked 2 1/3 innings giving up four runs on four hits. Wood tossed the final 1 1/3 innings surrendering three runs (unearned) on just two hits.
From the bottom of the fourth inning on, the Purple ran away with the game scoring one run in the fourth on Corey Kemp's sac fly that scored Bristow.
In the fifth, the Purple put up four more runs to extend its lead to 10-5. Homan led off the inning with his second hit of the game, a single to right. He then promptly stole second and scored on Broc Sutton's RBI single to right. Cassey Idle drew one-out walk, stole second and advanced to third on another Gold throwing error by the catcher. Eldridge singled up the middle, plating Idle. After a pitching change that saw Wood replace Harrington on the mound, Bristow took the second Wood offering up the middle for a two-out double scoring Eldridge for the final run of the inning.
The Purple team would add two more runs in the sixth to close out the scoring at 12-5.
ECU will take the next couple of days off with Fall Break starting Friday afternoon and will return to the field on Oct. 22.
