East Carolina University
15-8-1
UAB
13-10
Pirates Overbear Blazers, Finishing in Seven 18-1
March 21, 2026 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina used an explosive first inning and relentless offensive pressure to cruise past UAB, 18-1, on Saturday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Blazers struck first in the opening frame, using an RBI single from Landon Beaver to take an early 1-0 lead. However, the Pirates quickly flipped momentum with a key defensive play, as Walker Barron and Carlos Jacome teamed up to catch Beaver stealing and halt any further damage.
East Carolina wasted no time responding in the bottom half of the first, sending 11 batters to the plate and erupting for six runs. Braden Burress and Jack Herring each drew walks to ignite the rally before Austin Irby delivered an RBI single to right. A throwing error on the play allowed Herring to score as well, putting ECU in front for good. The Pirates continued to apply pressure with no outs, as Colby Wallace extended his hit streak to 12 games with a bunt single. Davin Whitaker followed with an RBI double down the left field line, and Jacome added an RBI single of his own. Barron later drove in a run with a single up the middle, and Burress capped the inning with a two-out RBI knock.
The first six batters in the lineup all reached base, and all six came around to score, in the decisive inning.
ECU added to its lead in the second, stringing together more quality at-bats. Whitaker notched his second double of the game to plate Irby, and a fielder's choice off the bat of Grady Lenahan brought home another run to make it 8-1.
The Pirates continued their consistent offensive production in the third. Nick Parham led off with a double, and Irby later lifted a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 9-1. Through the first three innings, ECU scored in every frame and consistently capitalized on leadoff baserunners.
After a quiet fourth, East Carolina broke the game open late. In the fifth, Barron doubled to start the inning and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Burress. Herring then launched a two-run home run to left field, pushing the advantage to double digits.
The sixth inning delivered the knockout blow. Lenahan crushed a three-run homer to left, and Irby followed later in the frame with a three-run shot of his own to cap a six-run inning and enforce the run-rule margin.
ECU finished with 18 runs on 15 hits, going an impressive 12-for-18 with runners in scoring position. Every starter recorded at least one hit, with multiple Pirates turning in standout performances. Irby led the way, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and a home run, while Whitaker added two doubles and two RBI. Lenahan drove in four runs, and Barron and Parham each collected two hits.
On the mound, Ethan Rose earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. Freshman Charlie Hoagland also stood out with the longest appearance in his young career, going 3.0 innings and only giving up no hits and one walk. The Pirate pitching staff limited UAB to just three hits despite issuing seven walks.
The Pirates were also able to match their season high of home runs in one game with three.
With the win, East Carolina improves to 15-8-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play, continuing its strong start to the weekend series.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rose, Ethan (1-1)
L: Helmers, Christian (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Beaver, Landon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dupuy, Alex 1
CS: Beaver, Landon 1
HBP: Dupuy, Alex 1 ; Pierzynski, Austin 1
Batting:
2B: Whitaker, Davin 2 ; Barron, Walker 1 ; Parham, Nick 1
HR: Irby, Austin 1 ; Herring, Jack 1 ; Lenahan, Grady 1
RBI: Burress, Braden 2 ; Irby, Austin 5 ; Whitaker, Davin 2 ; Herring, Jack 1 ; Barron, Walker 1 ; Jacome, Carlos 1 ; Lenahan, Grady 4
SF: Burress, Braden 1 ; Irby, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Burress, Braden 1 ; Irby, Austin 3 ; Whitaker, Davin 3 ; Herring, Jack 2 ; Barron, Walker 1 ; Bouche, Alex 1 ; Wallace, Colby 1 ; Parham, Nick 2 ; Sabater, Jeff 1 ; Jacome, Carlos 2 ; Lenahan, Grady 1
SB: Burress, Braden 1
