East Carolina University
Southern Miss
ECU Fall In Game One, 6-5 In 13 Innings
April 05, 2008 | Baseball
April 5, 2008
No. 20 Southern Miss 6, No. 24 ECU 5 (13 Innings) 
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A bases loaded wild pitch in the bottom of the 13th inning scored Keith Winstead to give No. 20 Southern Miss a 6-5 win over No. 24 East Carolina in game one of a double header at Pete Taylor Park.
With the game tied at five in the bottom of the 13th, Southern Miss' Winstead reached on a throwing error advancing to scoring position with Carson at the plate. Carson laid down a perfect bunt between the pitcher's mound and third base for a single and moving Winstead over to third. Adam Doleac received a free pass to load the bases for Josh Fields, who struck out swinging, but Winstead was able to come home on a Butts wild pitch for the game-winning run.
ECU (19-9, 3-4) took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 12th frame and was two outs away from taking a 1-0 lead in the series before Southern Miss (20-8, 5-2) scored three unanswered runs. Drew Carson reached on a throwing error, one of six on the afternoon for the Pirates, and advanced to second starting the rally. Adam Doleac singled to left-center pushing Carson to third. After Anthony Doss reached on a fielder's choice, Bo Davis drew a one-out walk to load the bases for James Ewing, who roped a single to right-center plating Carson and Doss and pulling the Golden Eagles within one, 5-4.
Brian Dozier, who stepped up to bat with one-out and runners on first and third, hit a grounder to Broc Sutton who flipped it over to Ryan Wood at short for what should have been a routine double play. But Wood was unable to successfully transfer the ball from his glove to his throwing hand and was charged with his fifth error of the game, scoring the game-tying run in Davis.
JR Ballinger (2-0) picked up the win after working two innings, where he gave up two runs (unearned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Starter Todd McInnis went seven innings, scattering six hits, surrendering two runs (one earned) with two walks and eight punch outs. Wade Weathers (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), Tyler Conn (2 IP, 1 H, 3 K), and Collin Cargill (0.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB) bridged the game between McInnis and Ballinger.
Brett Butts suffered the loss for the Pirates and fell to 1-1 on the year. He worked one inning giving up one run (unearned) on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. ECU starterT.J. Hose fanned a season-high seven batters in 5.1 innings allowing one run (earned) on four hits with three walks before giving way to Josh Ruhlman in the sixth. Ruhlman lasted 1.1 innings allowing two hits and one strikeout while facing seven batters. Freshman Seth Simmons relieved Ruhlman in the seventh coming in with two outs and runners at second and third. Simmons (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) walked Winstead to load the bases then froze Carson at the plate to end the frame, but gave up the game-tying home run to Ewing in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Brad Mincey made his 12th appearance out of the bull pen working 3 1/3 innings allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Bailey Daniels faced one batter giving up a single before Butts came in relief.
In a pitcher's dual, ECU pushed the first run across for both teams and took a 1-0 lead in the sixth frame on Harrison Eldridge's sac fly to left field. Freshman Dustin Harrington led off with a single to left-center then moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt by McInnis setting up Eldridge's at-bat.
Southern Miss tied the game in the bottom of the sixth at one on Carson's single through the left side that plated Corey Stevens from second. Stevens drew an opening frame walk on four pitches then stole second after Kyle Maxie popped up to third on a bunt attempt.
Corey Kemp gave ECU a 2-1 lead in the seventh when he homered to right field to lead off the frame, a solo shot and his eighth of the season.
Ewing knotted the game at two in the bottom of the ninth with a lead off solo shot to left field forcing the game into extra innings.
In the top half of the 12th inning, ECU took a 5-2 lead behind a pair of hits and a Southern Miss error. Trent Whitehead drew a walk on four pitches and advanced to second when Harrington reached on an error by the pitcher on his sac bunt attempt. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a Cargill passed ball before Sutton walked to load the bases. Eldridge singled to right field scoring Whitehead and giving ECU a 3-2 advantage. Trent Ashcraft reached on a fielder's choice RBI that scored Harrington and Kemp singled to center sending Sutton home for a three-run lead heading into the bottom of the frame.
