Pirates Win Season Opener, 13-4

Feb. 20, 2009

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Kyle Roller drove in five runs while Seth Maness scattered five hits over seven innings to pace No. 27 East Carolina to a 13-4 win over Monmouth Friday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeCLair Stadium.

Maness improved to 1-0 on the season after surrendering just one run (earned) on five hits with six strikeouts. Senior Bailey Daniels worked a perfect eighth inning before handing the ball over to Ryan Wood, who made his first collegiate appearance on the mound. Wood closed the game giving up three runs on one hits with three walks.

Kyle Breese suffered the loss for the Hawks (0-1) going four innings where he allowed 10 runs (eight earned) on nine hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts. Tim Ballard punched out four Pirates (1-0) in his two inning relief stint before Adam Krebs (two hits, one run, two walks) and Joe Loiodice (three hits, two runs, one walk) closed the game each with an inning on the mound.

After Maness retired the Hawks in order on 14 pitches, the Pirates wasted little time in showing their potential offensive fire power as they put up five-spot in the bottom of the first frame. Wood reached base on a one-out error by Steve Sanguiliano, which was followed by Stephen Batts single and a Brandon Henderson walk to load the bases for Roller, who sent a Breese fast ball to center field clearing the bases for his first triple of the season. Drew Schieber followed Roller's triple with one of his own to right field pushing across Roller just before he touched home on Devin Harris' groundout to second to cap the scoring at 5-0.

Paul Bottogliero led off the second inning with a solo home run to cut the Pirates lead to four, 5-1.

ECU retaliated with two more runs in the bottom half o the frame, extending its lead to 7-1. Trent Ashcraft drew a one-out walk then took third on Wood's single to left. Batts, who picked up a career-high four hits on the afternoon, drove in Ashcraft and pushed Wood to second on his second hit of the game, a single to left. Both Wood and Batts moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch setting up Henderson's sac fly to center plating Wood.

Roller highlighted an ECU three-run fifth when he belted his first home run of the season pushing the Pirates lead to 10-1. Batts led off the inning with a single up the middle, then stole second and came around to score on Henderson's single up the middle. Roller smacked his 24th career home run, a two-run shot to right field that landed on the ECU football practice facility.

ECU added another run in the seventh and two in the eighth for a 13-1 lead before Monmouth plated three in the top of the ninth to close the scoring at 13-4.

The Pirates and Hawks will be back in action Saturday afternoon for game-two of the three-game tilt with a first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET).

Post-Game Notes:

ECU snapped a two-game skid by recording its first win on opening day since 2006.

Head Coach Billy Godwin picked up his 116th career win at ECU and 378th of his career. Godwin is five wins shy of moving into sixth place on the school's all-time wins list, which is currently held by Randy Mazey (120).

Stephen Batts recorded a career-high four hits on the afternoon finishing the game 4-for-5 with and RBI and three runs scored.

Kyle Roller extended his current hitting streak to five games with his triple to center field in the first inning. He finished with two hits marking the 28th career multi-hit game. He drove in five runs for his 23rd career multi-RBI game.

Senior Brandon Henderson extended his hit streak to five games with his RBI single in the fifth and recorded his 26th career multi-RBI game.

Dustin Harrington was the third Pirate to extended his hitting streak to five games after a 2-for-5 performance at the plate.

Five Pirates collected at least two hits in the game, while seven drove in at least one run.

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