East Carolina University
Houston
Long Ball Leads ECU To Series Win
May 10, 2009 | Baseball
May 10, 2009
HOUSTON, Texas - Ryan Wood led 10 Pirates with at least one hit with his 4-for-5 performance, which included two home runs, as No. 22 East Carolina (37-15, 14-7) took the rubber match against Houston (24-27, 12-9) 13-6 Sunday afternoon in Conference USA action at Cougar Field.
Home runs by Wood, Stephen Batts and Brandon Henderson highlighted a five-run second inning that pushed ECU's lead to 7-1. Drew Schieber singled through the left side to start the inning and ended up on third after a Jared Avchen ground out and a wild pitch. Trent Whitehead laced his 18th double to left center scoring Schieber before Wood cleared the bases with his 11th homer of the season. Batts followed with his 12 home run of the year on the next pitch to chase Michael Goodnight from the game. Henderson didn't take long to welcome Chase Dempsay to the game as he blasted his ninth home run of the season and the third of the inning for the Pirates to cap the scoring at five runs.
Kevin Brandt (7-1) picked up his seventh win of the season allowing two runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Brandt's scoreless streak came to an end in the fifth inning when Chris Wallace belted a home run to left field halting the streak at 23 2/3 innings. Brad Mincey went 2 2/3 innings in his seventh start of the season allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits with a walk and strikeout.
Goodnight (4-4) lasted 1 1/3 innings after allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits before Chase Dempsay entered the game in the second inning. Dempsay went 2 2/3 innings allowing four runs on four hits with four punch outs. Houston used three pitchers to close out the final five innings
ECU jumped out to 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to four hits. Whitehead reached on an error by Taylor White then took third when Wood singled through the right side putting runners on the corners for Batts, who popped up to the shortstop. Kyle Roller drove in his 61st run of the season on a single through the left side that plated Whitehead and moved Wood to second. Wood came around to score on Brandon Henderson's single through the left side pushing the lead to 2-0. After Devin Harris flied out to deep left center, Dustin Harrington hit a laser to right field just before Roller was gunned down at the plate for the final out.
Caleb Ramsey cut the lead to one, 2-1, after doubling to left center in the bottom of the first. Blake Kelso singled to start the frame then moved to third on a pair of ground outs before touching home on Ramsey's eighth two-bagger of the season.
Houston plated three runs in the third to cut the lead to three, 7-4. With two outs Ramsey singled to left field then advanced to second when Williams Kankel reached on an error. Chris Wallace doubled down the left field line pushing across Ramsey for the first run of the inning. Back-to-back hit by pitches drove in the second run and Taylor White drove in the final run with a single to left scoring Wallace before David Murphy was nailed at home on a throw from Batts to Schieber to Avchen.
With one swing of the bat, Harris got the three runs back when he stroked his 12th home run, a three-run shot to left field extending ECU's lead to 10-4. Batts drew a one-out walk then took second on a wild pitch, which was followed by a Roller walk. Henderson grounded out to second to move the runners up before Harris cleared the bases on ECU's fourth long ball of the game.
Wallace hit his eighth home run of the season in the fifth inning, pulling the Cougars to within five, 10-5.
Wood smacked his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to left, in the seventh inning extending ECU's lead to 12-5. Avchen singled up the middle with one out and came home on Wood's 12th homer of the season.
Houston added a run in the eighth off the bat of Runte, who hit his second home run of the season to left field, making the score 12-6.
Austin Homan's pinch hit double in the ninth scored Avchen from first pushing ECU's lead to seven, 13-6.
The Pirates will be back in action on Tuesday, May12 when they head to Wilmington, N.C. to square off against in-state rival UNC Wilmington. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EDT).
