East Carolina University
Southern Miss
ECU Falls To Southern Miss, 5-2
May 22, 2009 | Baseball
May 22, 2009
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Corey Stevens' sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning drove in the game-winning run as No. 5 seed Southern Miss advanced to the winner's bracket with a 5-2 win over top seed and No. 15 East Carolina Thursday night at Pete Taylor Park in the 2009 Conference USA Championship.
The Pirates (42-16) will play Tulane in an elimination game Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) with the winner turning around later on to play Southern Miss at 8:30 p.m. (EDT).
With the game tied at two in the eighth, the Golden Eagles (34-22) plated three runs for a 5-2 advantage. James Ewing doubled to center with one out then took third on Bo Davis' infield single to short. Kameron Brunty loaded the bases when he was intentionally walked setting up the game-winning run on Stevens' fly ball to right. Southern Miss would pad its lead with two more runs thanks to a two-out single by Joey Archer.
J.R. Ballinger worked a career-best eight innings allowing two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and a walk to improve to 5-3 on the season. Collin Cargill earned his ninth save working the ninth where he walked one and forced three groundouts.
ECU starter Seth Maness dropped his first game in his last eight starts going 7 1/3 innings where he was saddled for five runs (all earned) on seven hits with three walks and four punch outs. Seth Simmons allowed a hit in a one-third of an inning and Patrick Somers fanned Michael Ewing to end the eighth frame.
Brandon Henderson put the Pirates up 1-0 in the first inning on an RBI fielder's choice. Trent Whitehead reached on an error off the glove of B.A. Vollmuth then took second on Ryan Wood's single up the middle putting runners at first and second. Both runners moved up 90 feet on Stephen Batts foul out to right field and Kyle Roller was intentionally walked to load the bases for Henderson's 47th RBI of the season.
Henderson's 45th double of his career in the third inning pushed ECU's lead to 2-0. Wood was plunked by a Ballinger pitch then took third on Batts single through the left side that extended his current hitting streak to 10 games. After Roller moved Wood to third on a double play, Henderson doubled to left center.
Vollmuth smacked his third career home run in the seventh inning to knot the game at two. With two men down, Micheal Ewing drew a walk and then came around to score on Vollmuth's shot to right center, which also was his second career home run against the Pirates.
Post-Game Notes:
