East Carolina University
Memphis
ECU Falls In Series Finale To Memphis, 4-2
March 29, 2015 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Darien Stubbs' inside the park home run capped a four-run seventh inning lifting Memphis to a 4-2 series win over East Carolina Sunday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
With the win the Tigers improve to 17-6 on the season and 2-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Pirates drop to 17-12 overall and 1-2 in league action.
Blake Myers (2-0) picked up his second win of the series tossing a scoreless frame in relief where he allowed a hit, walk and fanned two. Starter Connor Alexander allowed both ECU runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and a strikeout over five-plus innings. Craig Caufield added two-plus scoreless innings of relief, while Nolan Blackwood recorded one out in the ninth for his ninth save in nine appearances.
David Lucroy (2-1) suffered the loss surrendering three runs (all unearned) on four hits with a pair of walks and nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Reid Love allowed one unearned run on two hits in an inning of relief, while Joe Ingle closed out the game working 1.2 innings with a pair of punch-outs.
The Pirates managed just five hits on the afternoon getting one each from Hunter Allen, Reid Love, Luke Lowery, Travis Watkins and Charlie Yorgen. Allen drove one run scoring Kirk Morgan in the fifth, while Love crossed home on a Tiger error in the first frame.
Memphis recorded six hits getting a pair from Kane Barrow and Brandon Montgomery. Darien Tubbs' had three RBI coming on his inside the park home run, his first round-tripper of the season.
UP NEXT:
ECU continues its seven-game home stand this weekend playing host to Tulane in AAC action. Games are scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 2 (6:30 p.m.), Friday, Apr. 3 (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Apr. 4 (12 Noon) at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
How It Happened:
With ECU holding a 2-0 lead going to the top of the seventh, Memphis scored four runs highlighted by Darien Tubbs' three-run inside the park homer run to take a 4-2 lead capping the scoring on the afternoon.
Carter White reached on a bunt single to third to start the seventh inning. After a Jake Little strikeout, Jake Overbey reached on a fielding error by Morgan at third putting runners on the corners. Memphis loaded the bases when Chris Carrier was hit by a pitch forcing and ECU pitching change in which Love took the mound for Lucroy. Zach Schritenthal reached on a fielder's choice where Bryce Harman threw home to get White for the second out of the frame.
A Love wild pitch moved Schritenthal to second, Carrier to third and allowed Overbey to cross home making it a 2-1 Pirate lead. Darien Tubbs stepped to the plate and sent a fly ball over the head of Garrett Brooks in center clearing the bases giving Memphis a 4-2 advantage.
ECU took an early lead in the bottom of the first when Love scored on a throwing error by Montgomery. Love walked with one out, stole second and moved to third on Watkins' single to right. During Luke Lowery's at-bat, Watkins broke for second forcing a throw from White behind the plate and fractions of a second later Love took off for home. Montgomery cut off the throw to second and threw wide of White covering home allowing Love to score.
The Pirates added to their lead in the fifth, 2-0, on Allen's safety squeeze that scored Morgan from third. Morgan walked with one out then moved to third on Yorgen's single to right field. Allen dropped down a sac bunt to the left of the mound allowing Morgan to cross home.
Inside The Box Score:
ECU left eight runners on base and was 0-for-9 with RISP, while Memphis stranded six runners and was 1-for-6 with RISP ... The Tigers had three two-out hits and got the leadoff runner on twice, compared to a pair of two-out base knocks and one leadoff batter reaching for the Pirates ... ECU advanced runners at a 43.8 percent clip (7-for-16) and Memphis was at 42.9 percent (6-for-14).
Game Notes:
Lucroy's nine strikeouts were a season-high for any Pirate hurler (3 of 9 were looking) ... ECU's staff had 13 punch-outs on the afternoon tying a season-high, which was set earlier this week at UNC Wilmington ... Joe Ingle had two strikeouts finishing the week with 10 in 5.1 innings over three games ... Harman's 24-game streak of reaching base safely ended with an 0-for-4 performance at the plate ... Morgan's six-game hit streak was also snapped.
