East Carolina University
UNC-Wilmington
ECU Drops Second Straight Midweek Game, 8-3
April 08, 2009 | Baseball
April 8, 2009
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Mike Rooney blasted his first home run of the season to lead off the fourth inning for the game-winning run as UNC Wilmington gave No. 14 East Carolina its second straight loss 8-3 Wednesday night at Brooks Field. With the win the Seahawks improve to 18-11 overall while the Pirates drop to 25-7.
Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, UNCW plated four run to take a 7-2 advantage and never looked back. Rooney, who tripled in his first at-bat of the contest, led off the frame with his first home run of the season, teeing off on an Michael Wrigt 1-2 offering before Grayson Evans drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double to left center that scored Matt Holt and Thomas Pope. The final run of the inning came off the bat of Robbie Monday, who singled to right field scoring Evans from second base.
Tyler McSwain evened his record to 1-1 on the season after working 2 2/3 innings where he allowed two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts in a predetermined outing. Steven Davis allowed one run on three hits in 2 1/3 innings, while Bryan Booth and Stephen Harrold each surrendered just two hits while working two innings each.
Mike Wright went 3 2/3 innings allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Freshman Mark Wilder made his second appearance of the season lasting one-third of an inning before passing the ball to Sthil Sowers in the fifth. Sowers, who made his seventh appearance out of the pen, went three innings allowing one run on one hit with three walks and four punch outs. Mike Anderson closed out the game on the mound for the Pirates working a perfect eighth.
UNCW took an early 2-0 lead thanks to a pair of hits and a Pirate fielding error in the first inning. Cody Stanley laced a one-out double down the left field line then scored when Evans reached on an error by Ryan Wood. Monday followed with a single to right field pushing Evans to third with one out. Bobby Leeper drove in the second run of the inning when he grounded out to second scoring Evans.
The Pirates knotted the game at two in the second inning on four hits and an error. Devin Harris singled down the left field line and took second on Evans error. Austin Homan followed with a single up the middle that put runners on the corners. Dustin Harrington pushed across Harris with his single to right field and Trent Whitehead collected his second hit of the game, an RBI single to center, tying the game at two.
Rooney led off the bottom of the second with a triple down the right field line and came home when Holt grounded out to short for a 3-2 Seahawk advantage.
Stanley drew a bases loaded walk plating Rooney for an 8-2 lead in the fifth inning. Rooney walked then took second when Ben Thielsen reached on the second Pirate error of the game putting runners at first and second with one out. With two men down, Pope loaded the bases for Stanley with an infield single between home and third that was picked up by Sowers.
Stephen Batts pulled the Pirates within five, 8-3, with a two-out RBI single through the left side that scored Harrington, who drew the first of two consecutive walks to start the frame. Zach Wright followed Harrington with a walk then moved up to second when Harrington took third on a passed ball.
ECU will return to action Friday night when they play host to No. 1 Rice in a three-game Conference USA matchup that will pit the top two teams in the league at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EDT), while Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
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