East Carolina University
UAB
ECU Wins Fifth Straight, 12-7
April 17, 2010 | Baseball
April 17, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. -Junior Austin Homan collected a career-best five RBI, while Kyle Roller drove in four and Trent Whitehead pounded out four hits leading No. 26 East Carolina to a series win over UAB Saturday night 12-7. With the win the Pirates improve to 23-12 overall and 5-3 in league play and the Blazers fall to 20-14 and 5-6.
Six Pirates combined for all 14 hits with five posting multi-hit games. Whitehead led the hit barrage with four base knocks, while Homan added a three-hit performance and Devin Harris, Corey Thompson and John Wooten each had two hits. Roller was 1-for-4 and smacked his 47th career home run to move into a tie for second place on the school's all-time list.
Seth Maness (7-2) held his composure on the mound in a game that saw both teams combine for eight errors, five by the Pirates. The right-hander worked seven strong innings allowing six runs (three earned) on nine hits with a walk and six strikeouts. With the win, Maness pushed his career record to 25-7 and improved to 15-1 all-time in 19 C-USA regular season starts. Mike Wright tossed the final two frames surrendering one run (unearned) on two hits with a punch out.
Beau Pender (4-2) dropped his second decision of the year after being roughed up for nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits in three innings. Benji Waite went three innings allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits, while Tristan Farrell and Blake Huddleston pitched the final two frames allowing one run (earned) on one hit.
Roller's three-run blast highlighted a five-run first inning where the Pirates took a 5-0 lead. The Pirates got back-to-back singles from Whitehead and Thompson, which set up Roller's eighth home run of the season on a towering shot to right field. Zach Wright followed with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and took third on a passed ball before crossing home on Harris' single up the middle. Homan pushed Harris across to cap the scoring at five on a RBI single to right field. Harris, who extended his hit streak to four games, moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt by Pender and touched home on a high chopper over the first baseman's head for his 20th RBI of the season.
UAB got on the board in the third when Jonathan Merritt reached on an error to short that scored Jamal Austin and Nick Crawford cutting the lead to 5-2. Austin, who was 4-for-5 in the game, singled through the left side with one out then landed on third on Crawford's double to right field.
ECU responded with a run in the bottom half of the stanza pushing its lead back to four, 6-2. Wooten single through the left side to start the fame and moved to third on Austin's throwing error after catching a fly ball of the bat of Harris in center. Homan followed with another RBI single scoring Wooten.
In the fourth UAB plated a pair of runs on a RBI ground out by Andrew Manning and a RBI single off the bat of Austin. Leadoff hitter Ryan Ussery reached on an error by Wooten where he landed on third and Manning pushed him across on his ground out to short. Harry Clark followed with a double down the right field line before he came home on Austin's base hit up the middle.
Four runs in the bottom of the fourth put the game out of reach giving ECU a comfortable 10-4 advantage. Whitehead and Thompson once again laced back-to-back singles and each runner moved into scoring position on a wild pitch for Roller who drew his team-leading 35th walk to load the bases. Wright reached on a fielder's choice when Whitehead was forced out at home by Manning at third base. Wooten drew a bases loaded walk scoring Thompson and Harris plated Roller on a sac fly to center. Homan stepped up to the dish and doubled to right center clearing the bases.
UAB scored additional runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth, while the Pirates countered with a run in the sixth and seventh frames.
The Pirates will look for its first series sweep of the year when the two teams meet Sunday morning at 10 a.m. (EDT). Kevin Brandt will toe the rubber for ECU, while UAB will counter with Shay Crawford.
