No. 15 East Carolina Downs USF To Force Deciding AAC Semifinal Game

Saturday, May 27

Clearwater, Fla.

9:00 a.m.

East Carolina University

44-16

South Florida

20-38

South Florida

East Carolina

No. 15 East Carolina Downs USF To Force Deciding AAC Semifinal Game

May 27, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Fifth-year RHP Garrett Saylor produced the most impressive outing of his career in a huge spot Saturday morning, firing across eight innings of one-run baseball to lift No. 15 and top seed East Carolina to a 3-1 victory over No. 8 seed South Florida in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at BayCare Ballpark.

The Pirates (44-16) handed the upstart Bulls (20-38) their first loss of the tournament and forced a deciding game later in the day to determine which squad advances to Sunday's championship game.

Saylor (3-0) was absolutely dominant, scattering two hits and allowing just one run while walking a batter and striking out six. He gave way to Landon Ginn in the ninth who completed his second save of the season by working around an inherited leadoff double. Saylor matched the program record for innings pitched at an AAC Championship and is the first to go eight frames since Reid Love did it in a 4-3 first-round win over UCF back on May 20, 2015. Nolan Hudi (1-5) was tagged with the loss, surrendering three runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts in six innings.

Carter Cunningham continued his sensational offensive run at the AAC Championship, going 3-for-4 with a run driven in. Jackson Mayo posted the only South Florida hit and RBI with a home run in the top of the sixth.

While a pitcher's duel ensued in the early portion of the contest, Cunningham put ECU on top with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth to score Lane Hoover who had singled with one away. Jackson Mayo quickly drew USF level with a solo home run in the top of the sixth, but Saylor settled in from there and retired the next three batters to keep the game deadlocked.

East Carolina touched Hudi up for a pair of runs in the home half of the sixth via an Alec Makarewicz RBI double and a Joey Berini run-scoring single. With a 3-1 cushion, Saylor sat down six of the next seven South Florida batters before yielding a leadoff double in the top of the ninth.

Ginn induced a fly ball to center that moved Bobby Boser to third before Drew Brutcher drew a walk. Rafael Betancourt would pop up to second, allowing Ginn to record a massive second out to keep the runners at the corners, but Joaquin Monque worked a walk to load the bases for Marcus Brodil. Unfazed, Ginn got Brodil swinging on a 1-2 pitch to seal the victory.