Batts Propels ECU Over Quinnipiac, 12-9

March 13, 2008

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Stephen Batts picked the perfect time to hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field, helping East Carolina extend its current winning streak to nine with a 12-9 victory over Quinnipiac Thursday night inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Trailing 9-7 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Pirates (10-4) scored five runs on four hits to take a 12-9 lead. Jamie Ray led off the inning with a ground-rule double to right field then scored on a pair of Quinnipiac (1-6) errors on Kyle Roller's at-bat cutting the lead to one. Trent Whitehead knotted the game at nine with a single to center that scored Trent Ashcraft, who pinch-ran for Roller at second. Harrison Eldridge followed with a single of his own advancing Whitehead to second and both Pirates came home when Batts took a Tony DeFrancesco fast ball to right field.

Freshman Seth Simmons picked up his first collegiate win working 1 2/3 inning of relief. He allowed one run on three hits and fanned two to improve to 1-0 on the season. Starter Matt Laney was chased in the second inning after giving up three runs (all home runs) on three hits with two punch-outs. Brad Mincey made his sixth appearance out of the bull pen going 4 2/3 innings, surrendering four runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Josh Ruhlman bridged the gap between Mincey and Simmons giving up one runs on one hits in 1 1/3 innings.

DeFrancesco fell to 0-1 on the season after pitching three innings of relief, where he allowed five runs (one earned) on five hits with one strikeout. Left-hander Chris Gloor worked five innings, allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits with five walks and one strikeout in his second start of the season.

Quinnipiac wasted little time in getting on the board and took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Ben Farina took a Laney first pitch offering to left field for his second home run of the season, which was followed by a one-out home run by shortstop John Delaney to left field, his first of the season.

The Bobcats tacked on another run in the second when Joe Poletsky sent a Laney fastball to dead center field for his first home run of the season making the score 3-0.

Dustin Harrington's single through the right side scored Justin Bristow and knotted the game at three in the bottom of the second frame. Brandon Henderson and Corey Kemp drew back-to-back walks and came home when Bristow doubled to right-center clearing the bases before Harrington's at-bat.

Ryan Wood sparked a three-run third inning giving the Pirates a 6-3 lead. Wood led off the inning with his fourth homer of the season, a shot to left field that gave ECU the lead. Ray's fielder's choice drove in the second run of the frame when Batts touched home. Batts followed Wood's at-bat with a double to right-center then stole third when Kemp collected his second walk of the game. Jonathan Ratledge scored the final run of the inning when Eldridge reached on an error.

The Bobcats scored four runs in the fifth on five consecutive hits to take a 7-6 lead. Brian Monack led off with a single then moved to second on Farina's single to center and came home on Mike Bartlett's double to left-center. Delaney gave the Bobcats the lead with his second homer of the night, a three-run dart to center field. Pete Kummerfeldt singled to left-center for the fifth straight hit of the inning before the Pirates were able to record an out.

ECU tied the game at seven in the bottom of the fifth when Ray grounded into a double play that scored Batts from third. Batts singled to center to start the inning then moved to third on Henderson's single through the right side. Kemp walked for the third time loading the bases for Ray's at-bat.

Quinnipiac regained the lead, 9-7, in the top of the eighth after scoring a pair of runs. Jeff Carino collected his only hit of the night when he led off with a double to left field. After Ryan Ullrich entered the lineup as a pinch runner for Carino, Michael Marmo laid down a sac bunt pushing Ullrich to third base. Simmons replaced Ruhlman on the mound for the Pirates and promptly fanned Poletsky. Anes Koummal reached on a Henderson throwing error scoring Ullrich. Koummal scored the final run of the inning when he crossed home on Monmack's single.

ECU will continue its 13-game homes stand this weekend when they play host to Rhode Island for a three-game series starting Friday night at 7 p.m..

GAME NOTES:

Ryan Wood extended his current hit streak to 12 games on his fourth homer of the season in the third.

Stephen Batts drove in three runs, scored three times and collected three hits on the night. Batts has recorded at least one hit in 41 of his last 43 games since the start of his 29-game hit streak in 2007 (4/13/07).

Justin Bristow drove his first runs as a Pirate on his two-RBI double in the second inning.

Harrison Eldridge recorded his 61st multi-hit of his career going 2-for-5 at the dish.

Josh Ruhlman made his 67 career appearance and 35th as a Pirate.

Corey Kemp and Jamie Ray were the only starting Pirates to not record a hit in the game.

The Pirates stole a pair of bases on three attempts and has already swiped 38 bases on the season in 43 attempts. Last season ECU stole 85 bases on the year.

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