ECU Sports Information

Pepperdine Sports Information

BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer

GREENVILLE ą The Waves jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead off East Carolina starter Zach Woods, who lasted a third of an inning, but they weren’t able to produce anything further off Pirates relievers Brad Mincey and Seth Simmons.

╩Mincey shut out the Waves over 7 2-3 innings with three strikeouts before Simmons came on to earn his second save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth. During this time on offense, the Pirates scored seven unanswered runs, including three in the first and the game-winning runs in the fourth.

The Pirates got a big day on offense from John Wooten who was 2-5 with three RBIs, while Corey Thompson and Chase McDonald each went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

ECU leadoff hitter Trent Whitehead collected two hits in four at-bats and scored twice.

╩Freshman starter Eric Karch gave up six runs on seven hits through 3.0 innings, although only four of those runs were earned. Sophomore Alex Najera pitched the final 5.0 frames, striking out three and allowing one run on six hits.

╩Vincej again paced the Waves’ offense, going 3-for-5 with two singles, a double and run scored. Meyer came up with the first-inning’s biggest hit, driving in two with a bases-loaded single back up the middle. ╩Chris Amezquita also produced a multi-hit game, ripping a double and single through three at-bats.

╩Pepperdine finished the game with 13 hits to go with the ten it had 10 in the first game.

Pepperdine 5

East Carolina 4

East Carolina rallied back from a three-run deficit to force extra innings against Pepperdine but could never take a lead as the Waves topped the Pirate 5-4 in the 11 innings.

Cody Yount led off the top of the 11th inning with a single off of reliever Jake Harris and advanced to second on a Joe Sever sac bunt, which was followed by a Torrey Jacoby fly out to left.

Young would take third base on a Harrison Kane infield single. With two outs, Zach Vincej stepped to the plate and smashed a grounder that bounced off the third base bag giving time for Yount to safely cross home plate for the winning run.

The Pirates replaced Harris for reliever Brad Mincey who would record the final out, but the damage was done already.

East Carolina threatened in the bottom of the 11th as leadoff hitter Trent Whitehead broke an 0-for-16 slump and laced a single to center off of reliever Ricky Villarreal to start the inning.

After the Whitehead single, Pepperdine pulled Villarreal and replaced him with Matt Maurer, who was able to get ECU’s red-hot slugger Corey Thompson to bounce into a four-six-three double play. Maurer recorded the final out by striking out John Wooten.

Thompson had a tremendous day for ECU as he was 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. He was the only Pirate with more than one hit.

Villarreal (1-0) was the game’s winning pitcher as he threw 2 1-3 innings and allowed one run. Harris, who throw 1 1-3 innings, was the losing pitcher.

Michael Wright started for East Carolina and went 5 1-3 innings and allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out six batters.

Jon Moscott got the start for Pepperdine and had a solid outing. Moscott pitched seven innings and allowed three earned runs.

The Waves took a lead in the top of the second when Chris Amezquita scored on a Young sac bunt.

East Carolina struck back the next inning when Zach Wright hit his second home run this week, a solo blast to left field, to tie the game at 1-1.

Pepperdine regained the lead when Nate Johnson fought off an inside pitch to bloop an RBI single to center field to go up 2-1.

The Waves padded that lead by adding a run in the fifth and sixth to go up 4-1.

The Pirates cut the lead to 4-3 after a Chase McDonald RBI single in the sixth and a Thompson sac fly in the seventh.

Thompson also delivered the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth when drilled a grounder up the middle to score Jack Reinheimer with one out.