East Carolina University
Southern Miss
Golden Eagles Take Game One, 6-3
April 27, 2007 | Baseball
April 27, 2007
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Senior Jody Blount was a double shy of hitting for the cycle going 3-for-4 with two RBI as Southern Miss defeated No. 25 East Carolina 6-3 after a one-hour and 14 minute rain delay in Conference USA action Friday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh, the Golden Eagles (26-18, 7-9) scored three runs on four hits to take a 5-3 lead and never looked back. James Ewing laced a double down the left field line with one out and scored on Blount's triple to center to knot the game at three. Michael Ewing followed with a double of his own, the third straight hit of the inning, scoring Blount for a 4-3 advantage. The final run of the frame came when Drew Carson singled through the left side scoring M. Ewing.
J.R. Ballinger evened his record to 1-1 on the year after working one inning of relief allowing two hits after replacing starter Ryan Belanger (5.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB and 5 K's). Tyler Conn saw action from the Golden Eagles bullpen allowing one hit over 1 2/3 innings with one strikeout before Patrick Ezell collected his eighth save of the season working a scoreless ninth.
Jason Neitz got the loss for the Pirates (28-14, 6-6) and fell to 4-2 on the year. He entered the game in the fifth and pitched 1 2/3 innings surrendering three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and one strikeout. Starter T.J. Hose went 4 2/3 innings allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts before giving up the ball to Neitz. Sophomore Bailey Daniels took the hill in the seventh last 1 2/3 innings allowing one run on three hits. Josh Ruhlman (1/3 IP) and Mike Flye (2/3 IP) worked the ninth inning.
Blount hit his third home run of the season in the top of the first with two-outs to left-center putting up Southern Miss 1-0.
Jake Dean tied the game at one with his RBI ground out to short that scored Stephen Batts in the bottom of the first. Batts led off inning with a single through the left side to extend his current hitting streak to eight games. Freshman Kyle Roller also singled in the first with a shot to short right-center.
Harrison Eldridge put the Pirates up 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning with his sac fly to right field with one out that plated Cory Kemp. With one-out, Kemp drew a walk, and then moved to second on Jake Dean's single to right field and then third when Brandon Henderson was plunked by a Belanger fast ball.
Southern Miss tied the game at two in the top of the fifth when pinch-hitter Trey Cuevas drew a two-out bases loaded walk scoring Brian Dozier.
Ryan Wood gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth with his single to right field that scored Drew Schieber. Dean singled to left to start the frame then was lifted for a pinch-runner (Schieber). Henderson laid down a perfect sac bunt down the third base line that moved Schieber to second, who then advanced to third on a Belanger wild pitch.
Eddie Burger extended Southern Miss' lead to three with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning.
Offensively four Pirates collected two hits each Wood, Roller, Kemp and Dean.
The two teams will square off in game-two of the three-game series tomorrow with a first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. (EDT).
