Pirates Win On Walk-Off Wild Pitch, 4-3

Friday, March 18

Greenville, N.C.

6:30 PM

East Carolina University

12-6

Monmouth N.J.

6-10

Monmouth

East Carolina

March 18, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

March 18, 2016

Box Score l Highlights and Interviews

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Parker Lamm darted home for the game-winning run in the ninth inning on a wild pitch lifting No. 17 East Carolina to a 4-3 win over Monmouth Friday night at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 12-6 on the season snapping a three-game losing streak, while the Hawks fall to 6-10.

Joe Ingle (3-2) picked up the win in relief allowing one run (earned) on two hits with three strikeouts in 2.0 innings. Starter Evan Kruczynski gave up a pair of runs (both earned) on eight hits with a walk and three punch outs in 7.0 innings of work. For Kruczynski it was his fourth quality start in five outings and 14th of his career.

James Kelly (0-1) suffered the loss surrendering one run (earned) which came on a wild pitch during Travis Watkins intentional walk at-bat. The righty gave up three hits and struck out one in 1.1 relief innings. Monmouth starter Frank Trimarco gave up one run (earned) on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts in seven frames, while Kyle Ajjan was touched for two runs (both earned) on two hits without recording an out.

ECU banged out 13 hits getting two base knocks apiece from Lamm, Jeff Nelson, Dwanya Williams-Sutton and Charlie Yorgen. In all, nine Pirates recorded a hit -- eight coming from the starters. Turner Brown delivered the game-tying hit with a two-RBI single in the eighth inning.

Shane Hughes led Monmouth with four hits, while scoring a run and driving one in. Six total starters tallied a combined 10 hits, while Dan Shea collected a pair of RBI.

How It Happened:
With the game knotted at three heading to the bottom of the ninth, Lamm scored the game-winning run on a Kelly wild pitch scoring from third base. Lamm got the stanza going singling up the middle with one out. Yorgen followed with a double down the left field line putting runners at second and third for Watkins. After a mound visit by Monmouth Head Coach Dean Ehehalt, Kelly tried to intentionally walk Watkins, but his 1-0 offering bounced in front of catcher Clay Koniencki allowing Lamm to score standing up.

Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Brown laced a two-RBI single to left field pulling the Pirates even in the contest. Eric Tyler leadoff with a single to left field and Luke Bolka, who came into to pinch hit, singled to left center. After Kendall Ford entered the game as a pinch runner for Bolka, Williams-Sutton flied out deep enough to center allowing both runners to move into scoring position. Following Garrett Brooks' strikeout, Brown roped a 2-1 fastball to left field tying the game at three-all.

Monmouth jumped out to an early lead in the first collecting four consecutive hits off of Kruczynski for a 1-0 lead. Grant Lamberton doubled down the left field line, which was followed by singles from Hughes and Shea to left field -- the latter giving the Hawks the lead. Pete Papcun loaded the bases with another hit before Kruczynski got Chris Gaetano to ground into a 1-2-3 double play. The lefty finished off the frame and minimized the damage when Christian Holland flied out to Lamm in left field on a diving catch down the line.

The Hawks pushed across another run in the fifth making it a two-run game, 2-0. Robbie Alessandrine doubled with one out and Lamberton walked putting giving putting runners on first and second before Hughes singled to left plating Alessandrine.

ECU answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame on Yorgen's sac bunt making it a two-run contest, 3-1. Nelson reached on a one-out single and Lamm followed with a base hit to center giving the Pirates runners on the corners. Yorgen laid down a Trimarco 1-1 offering back to the first base side of the mound easily scoring Nelson.

Monmouth tacked on a run in the eighth on Shea's sac fly for a 3-1 lead.

Game Notes:
Watkins extended his current hit streak to eight games with a single in the first inning ... He has now recorded at least one hit in 16 of 17 games he has played ... Lamm, who has reached base safely in all 17 games, has also posted at least one hit in 16 of 17 contests after collecting a pair of base knocks on the night ... ECU posted its second walk-off win of the season (other was vs. SE Louisiana in the LeClair Classic) ... The Pirates improved to 3-1 in one-run games ... This season, ECU has 35 two-out RBI ... Brown has five two-out RBI on the season tying him for second on the team with Bolka -- Watkins leads the club with six ... The Pirates improve to 20-3 in the all-time series and have won six-straight in the series.

Up Next:
ECU and Monmouth will continue the three-game non-conference series Saturday, Mar. 19 with a 4 p.m. (ET) scheduled first pitch.