Pirates pound Hornets

Published 10:05 pm Friday, May 13, 2011

GREENVILLE — Philip Clark led nine players with multiple hits pounding out a career-best four with two RBI, while Austin Homan and Zach Wright each belted home runs helping East Carolina (32-17) to a 24-0 win over Delaware State (24-25) in non-conference action Friday night at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.

With Philip Clark on third and Trent Whitehead on first, ECU scored six two-out runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 6-0 lead and never looked back. Wright pushed across the games first run on a double down the left field line and Ben Fultz followed with a two-RBI double to left center scoring Whitehead and Wright. The frame continued when John Wooten singled home Fultz on a shot to left center just before Jack Reinheimer laced the third two-base hit of the stanza down the left field line putting runners at second and third. Mike Ussery cleared the bases with a shot back up the middle to cap the scoring at 6-0.

Mike Wright picked up his first win March 19 and improved to 5-3 on the season. The right-hander from Laurinburg, N.C. worked five scoreless innings allowing three hits with six strikeouts and faced one over the minimum. Redshirt freshman Tanner Merritt tossed three perfect innings of relief with a strikeout and six ground outs, five of those going to second base. Mike Anderson pitched the final frame allowing a walk before inducing a game-ending double play.

Elliot (5-5) lasted 1.2 innings where he was touched for 10 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits with two strikeouts. From the second inning on, the Hornets used six pitchers to end the game. Matt McClain allowed seven runs in 1.2 innings, Tommy Dill gave up one run in two-thirds of an inning, while Joe Rush was tagged for four runs on five hits in one inning, Chad Sturgeon allowed two runs in two frames and Zach Adkins tossed a scoreless eighth.

ECU extended its lead to 10-0 in the second inning on Zach Wright’s 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot to left center that scored Chase McDonald in front of him after a one out single to right field.

McDonald pushed across the Pirates 11th run of the game in the third on a single back up the middle plating Corey Thompson, who extended his hit streak to 14 games with a lead off single to right center.

A seven-run fourth gave ECU an 18-0 lead where 13 hitters stepped into the box. Clark had a RBI single to center scoring Wooten, before Thompson walked to load the bases for Whitehead, who singled to left scoring a pair. McDonald followed with his second hit of the night doubling home Thompson and Whitehead. Wooten drove in his second run of the night on a sac fly to right scoring McDonald and Ussery drove in the final run of the frame on a bases loaded walk.