ECU Bounces Back For 13-4 Win Over USC

Saturday, February 23

Columbia, S.C.

7:00 PM

East Carolina University

South Carolina

February 23, 2008 | Baseball

Feb. 23, 2008

Final Stats

Box Score (PDF)

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Brandon Henderson and Jamie Ray combined for seven hits and eight RBI to help No. 24 East Carolina to a 13-4 win over No. 2 South Carolina in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday night at Sarge Frye Field.

Trailing 2-1 in the third inning, the Pirates (1-1) plated five runs to break the game open behind Ray's bases loaded triple. Harrison Eldridge led off the inning with an infield single then moved to second on Ryan Wood's walk and landed on third when Batts reached on an error. Roller knotted the game at two with his second RBI of the game, a single to right field that scored Eldridge leading up to Ray's triple. Ray trotted home on his at-bat when Reese Havens sailed a cutoff through into ECU's dugout putting the score at 6-2.

Junior Daniel Holder picked up the win in his Pirate debut after working 4 1/3 innings allowing one run on four hits. Freshman Seth Maness made his collegiate debut on the bump going four strong innings, holding South Carolina's (1-1) offense to three runs on five hits with five punch outs. Josh Ruhlman pitched the final two-thirds of the ninth sealing the Pirates win.

Blake Cooper dropped to 0-1 on the season after allowing six runs (three earned) in three innings of work. Parker Bangs (1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB), Sean Wideberg (3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K), Brandon Todd (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and Alex Burrell (1.0 IP, 1 K) all were used in relief for the Gamecocks.

Kyle Roller gave the Pirates an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when he doubled down the left field line plating Stephen Batts from first base. Batts reached first on a fielding error by James Darnell with two outs.

The Gamecocks answered the Pirates in the bottom of the frame taking a 2-1 lead on Whit Merrifield's solo blast to left field. Reese Havens tied the game at one when rounded the bases on a fly ball to left field that bounced off the glove of Batts, which was ruled a four-base error.

Havens drew the Gamecocks closer in the third with a solo blast to right-center that made the score 6-3.

Ryan Wood put the Pirates up 7-3 in the fourth when he grounded out to short plating Henderson from third. Henderson singled up the middle to start the inning, then moved to second on Eldridge's sac bunt the landed on third on Batts' single to left.

Henderson extended ECU's lead in the fifth when he took a Baines 2-0 pitch to left field for a grand slam, the first of his career, making the score 11-3. Ray started the inning with a single up the middle, which was followed by back-to-back walks by Kemp and Drew Schieber.

ECU plated two more runs in the eighth behind Henderson's single to left.

South Carolina pushed their final run across in the ninth inning on a passed ball.

The two teams will play the rubber match of the three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES:

Seth Maness made his collegiate debut for the Pirates working four innings, allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts.

Corey Kemp extended his current hitting streak to seven games with his single to left field in the second inning. His streak dates back to May 26, 2007 against Tulane (C-USA Tournament). He finished the game 2-for-3 picking up his 15th career multi-hit game and second on the young season.

Jamie Ray extended his current hit streak for 17-games with his bases loaded triple in the third inning. He finished the game tying his career-high with three hits picking up his 20 career multi-hit game. Ray also drove in three runs and scored a pair.

Brandon Henderson hit his first career grand slam in the fifth frame and picked up his 19th career multi-hit game going 4-for-5 with a career-high 5 RBI.

With the win, ECU snaps its nine-game losing streak to South Carolina, which started in 1980.

The win marks the second time in school history the Pirates have beaten No. 2 nationally-ranked team. The other time came at Rice in 2006 on March 24, the Owls first game in Conference USA action.