East Carolina University
Southern Miss
ECU Wins Game Two Of Double Header 4-2
April 06, 2008 | Baseball
April 5, 2008
No. 24 ECU 4, No. 20 Southern Miss 2 (PDF) 
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Freshman Seth Maness worked a career-high 8.1 innings, allowed two runs and fanned seven batters with no walks as No. 24 East Carolina evened the Conference USA series with No. 20 Southern Miss Saturday night in game two of the double header 4-2 in Pete Taylor Park.
Maness (6-0) became the second Pirate (20-9, 4-4) freshman to start a season 6-0 after holding the Southern Miss (20-9, 5-3) to just two runs (both earned) on 11 hits and lowered his ERA to 2.91. Maness retired 10 of the first 11 batters and 14 of the first 18 he faced with four punch outs. Josh Ruhlman made his 16th appearance of the season working the final two-thirds of the ninth inning and recorded the Pirates first save of the season and the first of his career. Ruhlman allowed one hit and fanned two.
Southern Miss starter Barry Bowden dropped to 5-2 on the year and lasted just two innings before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury. He gave three runs (two earned) on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Brian Leach replaced Bowden in the third and had the best outing of his career, throwing 6.1 innings scattering three this and allowing only one run. Jonathan Johnston worked the final two-thirds of the game with one punch out.
ECU wasted little time in getting on the board as they took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Harrison Eldridge, who collected four hits on the day, doubled to left-center on the games first pitch and moved to third on a wild pitch. Ryan Wood drove home Eldridge with an infield single. Stephen Batts followed with a double down the left field line putting runners at second and third with no outs. After Corey Kemp struck out, Brandon Henderson reached on a fielding error which plated Wood. Dustin Harrington capped the scoring in the first frame with a sac bunt.
Southern Miss pushed its first run across in the sixth cutting into the Pirates lead, 3-1. James Ewing doubled down the left field line then scored on Brian Dozier's RBI single down the right field line.
The Golden Eagles drew within one, 3-2, in the eighth on Keith Winstead's sac fly to right field that scored Dozier, who lead off the frame with a single to right. Corey Stevens advanced Dozier to third on his single setting up the lone run of the inning.
ECU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on Wood's bases loaded sac fly to right field that scored Trent Whitehead. Whitehead led off the inning with a single up the middle then moved to second when Kyle Roller drew a walk as a pinch hitter. Eldridge followed with another walk to load the bases for Wood.
The Pirates and Golden Eagles will play the rubber match of the three game series Sunday at noon (EST). ECU will send junior Justin Bristow and his 4-1 record to the mound to face David Clark (2-3) .
