East Carolina University
Old Dominion
ECU Bounces Back With 9-7 Win Over ODU
March 04, 2015 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina scored a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings to claim a 9-7 midweek win over Old Dominion Wednesday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates improve to 6-5 on the year while the loss drops the Monarchs to 2-5.
Holding a slim 7-6 lead heading to the bottom of the eighth, ECU pushed across two runs taking advantage of a couple ODU batter miscues padding its lead to 9-6. Parker Lamm, who reached base four times, got things going with a one-out infield single and then moved to third on Garrett Brooks' successful hit and run. Lamm would score the game-winning run off a Thomas Busbice wild pitch during Bryce Harman's at-bat where Brooks advanced to second. Another wild pitch and a passed ball allowed Brooks to cross home for the Pirates final run of the contest.
Kirk Morgan (2-0) earned the win in relief working 2.1 innings where he allowed two runs (both earned) on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. Joe Ingle tossed a career-high 1.2 frames surrendering a run on two hits to earn his first collegiate save. Starter Reid Love went five innings giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits before turning the game over to the bullpen.
Adam Bainbridge (0-1) took the loss allowing a pair of runs (both earned) on two hits in one inning of relief work. ODU starter Jake Josephs lasted just one frame after being touched for three runs (one earned) in the first inning. The Monarchs used six total hurlers in the contest with Sam Sinnen as the only one to not allow a run.
In a five-all tie heading into the bottom of the seventh, ECU scored two runs taking a 7-5 lead thanks to a pair of ODU errors, two Pirate hits and an RBI fielder's choice. Bryce Harman reached on a throwing miscue by shortstop Jason McMurray to start the frame and scored on Travis Watkins' third hit of the contest, which was bobbled by the right fielder Nick Walker. Charlie Yorgen followed with his lone hit of the day putting runners on the corners for Jeff Nelson, who reached on a fielder's choice driving in Watkins.
The Monarchs looked to take a late lead in the contest loading the bases with two outs in the eighth inning. Trailing by just one, 7-6, thanks to Nick Lustrino's solo shot to right field to start the frame, ODU used a hit by pitch, sac bunt and a pair of walks to make things interesting. Taylor Ostrich took Ingle to a full count before going down on a called third strike, which ended the Monarchs threat.
ECU took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first playing small ball. Love was hit by a pitch, took second on Lamm's walk and scored on an errant throw by Josephs. Harman followed with a ground out RBI to second and two batters later Yorgen plated Tyler with a sac bunt down the first base line.
An RBI single by Mike Perez and a two-RBI base knock by Connor Myers knotted the game a three-all in the top of the second. Ostrich and Derek Francis started the inning with consecutive base hits and McMurray reached on a fielding error by Hunter Allen to load the bases for the bottom half of the Monarch lineup.
The Pirates regained the lead, 4-3, in the third on Yorgen's second RBI of the game - a ground out to second that plated Harman.
Watkins extended the Pirates' lead to two, 5-3, with an RBI single to right field in the fourth plating Eric Tyler from second, who doubled with one out to center field.
ODU answered with a run in the fifth on Ostrich's single that scored Walker from third and one in the sixth on Lustrino's single to center pushing across McMurray from second to tie the game at five-all.
NOTABLES
Watkins recorded his second-straight multi-hit game leading the Pirates with three base knocks and pushing his season total to three ... Yorgen drove in a pair of runs and extended his current streak of reaching base to 11-straight games ... Lamm drew a season-high three walks and was one of three players to score twice - Harman and Tyler were the others.
UP NEXT
ECU will continue its six-game home stand playing host to Monmouth (0-6) in a three-game non-conference series ... Friday's opener has moved up to a 4 p.m. (EST) first pitch due to forecasted cold temperatures in the area later that evening.
