Saturday, May 23
Clearwater, Fla.
7:10 PM
East Carolina University
35-22-1
13
vs
3
No. 7 Wichita State
31-29
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| East Carolina | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 0 |
PIrates Set For Conference Title Game After Run-Rule Win Against No. 7 Wichita State
May 24, 2026 | Baseball
CLEARWATER, Fla. - No. 2 East Carolina Pirates (35-22-1) secured a conference title spot for the second year with a 13-3 run-rule victory over No. 7 Wichita State (31-29), aiming to reclaim the tournament title against No. 1 UTSA.Â
The Pirates opened strong, as Grady Lenahan singled through the left side. A Shockers miscue let Lenahan reach third, while Jack Herring stayed at first.Â
Braden Burress is off to a hot start as well, bunting an RBI single to put the Pirates in the lead with no outs.Â
As the second inning began, the Pirates kept climbing. Leadoff batter Austin Irby forced a walk and advanced to third after a second miscue by Wichita State. A wild pitch allowed Irby to safely reach home, putting the Pirates up by two.Â
Moving into the third inning, East Carolina came alive. Burress led off with a triple into right-center, gaining momentum. Pinch-hitter Michael Kalinich followed with a liner up the middle, scoring Burress for another run. Davin Whitaker then reached base after being hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.Â
Wallace sacrificed a bunt to move the runners into scoring position, posting only one out in the inning so far.Â
Irby once again up, able to make his way on for a second time, firing a ball down the right field line, ruling a ground-rule double, but scoring both runs to up the Pirates 5-0.Â
In the fourth inning, Wichita State finally saw some action, scoring their first run with a sequence of walk, wild pitch, wild pitch, and sacrifice fly. The score is now 5-1.
Still in the fourth, the Pirates responded in Pirate fashion, beginning with Herring reaching base on a walk. Burress continued his impressive night with a single, resulting in two runners on. Kalinich then loaded the bases with a walk, setting up Colby Wallace to crank a base-clearing double into right-center, increasing their lead to 8-1.Â
Wichita State had one more push offensively in the fifth before being shut down for the rest of the night. With the first hit recorded for Wichita State, the single scored two on the play, totaling three runs for the Shockers.Â
As the game progressed into later innings, the Pirates started grooving toward a run rule. With back-to-back walks by Kalinich and Whitaker, Walker Barron ripped his first hit of the day to score two, pushing the Pirates into double digits on the scoreboard.Â
In the seventh inning, Burress doubled for his third hit of the day, just a home run short of a cycle. Kalinich then set up and brought him home, tallying 11-3 for the Pirates.Â
In the eighth, hard work paid off for ECU. Pinch hitter Matt Lashley struck a ball up the middle to put a base runner on for the Pirates.Â
Lenahan then solidified the fate of the Pirates in the eighth, walking off the game in a run-rule with a monster blast to left field, posting the final score of 13-3 in eight innings.
Kalinich once again shows his confidence as a pinch hitter, going 2-for-2 with three runs, two RBI and two walks. Burress led the team offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double, triple and a single. Lenahan stole the show with his walk-off homer late in the night, bringing the Pirates to a rematch against the UTSA Roadrunners.Â
The American Conference Championship Game with your No.2 ECU Pirates against No.1 UTSA Roadrunners is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.Â
The Pirates opened strong, as Grady Lenahan singled through the left side. A Shockers miscue let Lenahan reach third, while Jack Herring stayed at first.Â
Braden Burress is off to a hot start as well, bunting an RBI single to put the Pirates in the lead with no outs.Â
As the second inning began, the Pirates kept climbing. Leadoff batter Austin Irby forced a walk and advanced to third after a second miscue by Wichita State. A wild pitch allowed Irby to safely reach home, putting the Pirates up by two.Â
Moving into the third inning, East Carolina came alive. Burress led off with a triple into right-center, gaining momentum. Pinch-hitter Michael Kalinich followed with a liner up the middle, scoring Burress for another run. Davin Whitaker then reached base after being hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second.Â
Wallace sacrificed a bunt to move the runners into scoring position, posting only one out in the inning so far.Â
Irby once again up, able to make his way on for a second time, firing a ball down the right field line, ruling a ground-rule double, but scoring both runs to up the Pirates 5-0.Â
In the fourth inning, Wichita State finally saw some action, scoring their first run with a sequence of walk, wild pitch, wild pitch, and sacrifice fly. The score is now 5-1.
Still in the fourth, the Pirates responded in Pirate fashion, beginning with Herring reaching base on a walk. Burress continued his impressive night with a single, resulting in two runners on. Kalinich then loaded the bases with a walk, setting up Colby Wallace to crank a base-clearing double into right-center, increasing their lead to 8-1.Â
Wichita State had one more push offensively in the fifth before being shut down for the rest of the night. With the first hit recorded for Wichita State, the single scored two on the play, totaling three runs for the Shockers.Â
As the game progressed into later innings, the Pirates started grooving toward a run rule. With back-to-back walks by Kalinich and Whitaker, Walker Barron ripped his first hit of the day to score two, pushing the Pirates into double digits on the scoreboard.Â
In the seventh inning, Burress doubled for his third hit of the day, just a home run short of a cycle. Kalinich then set up and brought him home, tallying 11-3 for the Pirates.Â
In the eighth, hard work paid off for ECU. Pinch hitter Matt Lashley struck a ball up the middle to put a base runner on for the Pirates.Â
Lenahan then solidified the fate of the Pirates in the eighth, walking off the game in a run-rule with a monster blast to left field, posting the final score of 13-3 in eight innings.
Kalinich once again shows his confidence as a pinch hitter, going 2-for-2 with three runs, two RBI and two walks. Burress led the team offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double, triple and a single. Lenahan stole the show with his walk-off homer late in the night, bringing the Pirates to a rematch against the UTSA Roadrunners.Â
The American Conference Championship Game with your No.2 ECU Pirates against No.1 UTSA Roadrunners is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Paxton, Thomas (1-0)
L: Ethan Rogers (0-3)
Batting:
RBI: Nolan Ganter 2 ; Jacob Gutierrez 1
SF: Jacob Gutierrez 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jaden Gustafson 1 ; Nolan Ganter 1 ; Owen Rush 1
Batting:
2B: Burress, Braden 1 ; Wallace, Colby 1 ; Irby, Austin 1
3B: Burress, Braden 1
HR: Lenahan, Grady 1
RBI: Lenahan, Grady 2 ; Burress, Braden 1 ; Kalinich, Michael 2 ; Wallace, Colby 3 ; Irby, Austin 2 ; Barron, Walker 2
SH: Wallace, Colby 2 ; Parham, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lenahan, Grady 2 ; Herring, Jack 1 ; Burress, Braden 3 ; Kalinich, Michael 3 ; Whitaker, Davin 2 ; Irby, Austin 1 ; Lashley, Matt 1
HBP: Whitaker, Davin 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
3
H
4
RBI
1
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
ph/dh
AB
2
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
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OF
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OF
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