By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — T.J. Hose earned a much anticipated victory.
The East Carolina senior, who hadn’t tasted a personal win since May 4 of last year - a span of eight starts - was all smiles following Friday’s 13-2 victory over the Rhode Island Rams, the 10th straight for the Pirates.
Hose (1-1), who allowed two runs while striking out four and walking three, made his longest appearance of the season. It was also his longest outing since going 7 2/3 innings in a win over Houston on May 4.
A Conference USA Preseason First Team selection, Hose had plenty of offensive support. The Pirates (11-4) scored in double digits for the third straight game while banging out 15 hits against the Rams (5-6).
Kyle Roller and Stephen Batts both blasted home runs. Ryan Wood collected three hits, while Roller, Trent Whitehead and Harrison Eldridge all had two hits.
During ECU’s current 10-game win streak, the Pirates have outscored their opposition 104-47.
ECU’s longest win streak in program history is 19, which came in the 2004 season. A win today by the Pirates would match the team’s eighth-longest streak of 11, which has occurred four times and was last established in 2001.
The Pirates wasted no time in getting to Rhode Island starter Brett Palanski (1-1), as they batted around and put up a five-spot in the first inning. Dustin Harrington delivered a two-run single, while Whitehead and Jamie Ray had RBI singles.
Eldridge set the tone with a leadoff single. Though Eldridge was erased at second on a fielder’s choice, a walk and hit batter loaded the bases. Ray followed with a bloop single into shallow center for a 1-0 lead.
After Corey Kemp’s sac fly produced another run, Roller walked to re-load the bases. Harrington followed by lacing a 3-2 pitch into center that scored two more runs for a 4-0 lead. Whitehead then jumped on the first pitch he saw and spanked it into right, scoring Roller to cap the five-run uprising.
Whitehead, a former star with the Washington Pam Pack, made his seventh start of the season. The freshman left fielder went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. It was the third multi-hit game of his young career, which raised Whitehead’s batting average to .348 on the year.
Oliver Palmer’s RBI single in the fourth got the Rams on the scoreboard.
ECU answered in the bottom half to take a 6-1 lead. Whitehead ripped his second hit of the game and the freshman eventually scored on a one-out single by Wood, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games in the process.
Mike O’Malley pulled the Rams within 6-2 with an RBI single in the fifth.
Once again, the Pirates responded, putting up a five-spot for the second time. After Kemp reached on an error, Roller, who had been mired in a slump, deposited the ball over the fence in right with a monstrous blast for an 8-2 advantage. The homer, Roller’s third of the season and 14th of his career, ended the day for Palanski (eight runs on nine hits in four innings).
A short time later, Batts pushed the lead to 11-2 with his second three-run homer in as many nights.
Roller’s RBI single and Batts’ bases-loaded walk brought home two more runs in the sixth, pushing ECU’s lead to 13-2.
ECU’s Zach Cooper and Shane Small each pitched one inning to close out the game.
The teams meet again today at 2 p.m., followed by Sunday’s series finale at 1 p.m.
Rhode Island 000 110 000 - 2 7 2
East Carolina 500 152 00x - 13 15 0
WP: T.J. Hose (1-1); LP: Brett Palanski (1-1)
Hitters: RI - Oliver Palmer 2-4 (RBI), Evan Laude 1-1 (2B), Zach Zaneski 1-2, Shaun Hagey 1-3, Mike O’Malley 1-4 (RBI), Zoey Angulo 1-4; ECU - Ryan Wood 3-6 (RBI), Kyle Roller 2-3 (HR, 3 RBI), Trent Whitehead 2-3 (RBI, SB), Harrison Eldridge 2-2 (2B), Dustin Harrington 2-4 (2 RBI), Stephen Batts 1-2 (HR, 4 RBI), Jamie Ray 1-3 (RBI), Corey Kemp 1-3 (RB), Trent Ashcraft 1-2.