Houston Tops Pirates In Extras, 5-4

May 21, 2008

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Zak Presley's RBI single to left-center with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th gave No. 4 seed Houston a 5-4 win over No. 4 East Carolina in game one of the 2008 Entergy Conference USA Tournament at Greer Field inside Turchin Stadium.

Trailing 4-3 heading into the 10th, Bryan Pounds drew an opening frame walk for Houston (35-21) to start the rally. After a Pirate (39-18) pitching change that saw freshman Brad Mincey relieve Brett Butts, Jimmy Cesario roped his third hit of the game through the right side putting runners at the corners. Ryan Lormand loaded the bases when he was plunked by Mincey pitch setting up the Mincey-Presley showdown.

Donnie Joseph notched the win for the Cougars improving to 2-1 on the year after working two innings of relief, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. Starter Wes Musick went 6.2 innings allowing three runs (all earned) on seven hits with three walks and five punch outs. Chris Wright bridged the gap between Musick and Joseph going 1.1 innings with two strikeouts and giving up one hit.

Mincey, who made his 24th appearance, did not record an out allowing one run on two hits falling to 3-3 on the season. Freshman Seth Maness worked 7.0 innings allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts before giving way to Seth Simmons, who faced two batters. Josh Ruhlman made his 33rd appearance of the season in the eighth coming in with one out and runners at second and third working one inning. He allowed one hit and fanned two batters. Butts pitch 0.2 innings with a walk, strikeout and gave up one run.

Kyle Roller gave ECU an early 1-0 lead in the second frame on a single through the left side that plated Brandon Henderson from second base. Henderson singled to left with one out then took second on Jamie Ray's single through the right side.

Lormand knotted the game at one in the fourth when he doubled home Cesario from second. Cesario doubled down the right field line with two outs before touching home on Lormand's 52nd RBI of the season.

Cesario gave Houston a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning with a single up the middle. Once again with two outs in the frame the Cougars got a double this time from Pounds with his rope to center before Cesario drove him in on a 1-0 pitch through the left side.

Roller put the Pirates back on top, 3-2, in the seventh with a two-run shot to right field. Drew Schieber reached on an infield single the came home on Roller's 10th homer of the season.

In the eighth inning, Houston tied the game at three on Cesario's groundout to first that plated Blake Kelso from third. Kelso led off with a double to left field. After Jake Stewart walked and ECU changed pitchers, Pounds moved the runners to second and third with a sac bunt. Ruhlman replaced Simmons on the mound just before Cesario's at-bat.

Henderson gave ECU a 4-3 lead in the 10th with second hit of the game, a double off the left field wall that scored Corey Kemp from first base. Kemp, the 2008 C-USA Player-of-the-Year, drew an opening frame walk then hustled around the diamond for the go-ahead run.

The Pirates will play the loser of the Rice/UAB game Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT).

GAME NOTES:

Jamie Ray extended his current hitting streak to six games with his single in the second inning through the right side finishing the game 2-for-5.

Kyle Roller drove three runs and now has 46 on the season and 76 for his career. He smacked his 10th home run (21st career) and is one of four Pirates with at least 10 jacks on the season.

Four Pirates had multi-hit games on the morning: Dustin Harrington (21st), Brandon Henderson (23rd), Jamie Ray (21st) and Kyle Roller (15th).

With the loss, the Pirates are 12-10 overall in the C-USA Baseball Championships and fall to 14-9 overall against the Cougars (1-3 on the season).

Roller's home run in the seventh was the 76th homer of the season for the Pirates which is the fifth most in a single-season.

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