By Staff
ECU Sports Information
GREENVILLE – Top-ranked Rice scored 11 unanswered runs in the final four innings to take game one of a three-game Conference USA series from No. 14 East Carolina 15-11 at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
With the win Rice (24-7) pulls even with ECU (25-8) atop the C-USA standings with an 8-2 league record.
Trailing 11-4 the Owls scored four runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth and ninth frames, while the Pirates were held to just five hits.
Chad Mozingo’s bases loaded double to right center with the bases loaded and two outs cleared the bases and gave Rice its first lead of the game 12-11 in the eighth inning. The Pirates recorded two quick outs in the inning getting Brock Holt to fly out and Jimmy Comerota to line out before ECU’s closer Seth Simmons entered the game with a man on first. Anthony Rendon fought back from a 0-2 count and drew a two-out walk to start the rally. Diego Seastrunk followed with another Owl walk to load the bases for Mozingo’s heroics.
Rice’s relief pitching shut down the Pirates potent offense when Mark Haynes (1-0) and Jordan Rogers combined to work 5 1/3 scoreless innings scattering five hits and fanning one. Starter Jared Rogers lasted just 1 1/3 innings allowing seven runs (six earned) and Abe Gonzales went 2 1/3 innings surrendering four runs (three earned) on for hits.
Simmons recorded the loss on the night after working one inning where he allowed five runs (all earned) on five hits with two walk. Starter Chris Heston went 5 1/3 innings giving up seven runs on eight hits with six punch outs before passing the ball to Kevin Brandt, who did not record an out and gave up one run on two hits. Bailey Daniels made his team-high 17th appearance lasting 2 1/3 innings giving up two runs on three hits with three strikeouts. Stihl Sowers closed out the game recording the final out in the ninth.
ECU scored a pair of runs in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead thanks to RBIs from Kyle Roller and Brandon Henderson. Trent Whitehead walked to start the frame then took second on Ryan Wood’s bunt single, which extended his current hitting streak to 19 games. Stephen Batts followed with another bunt single to load the bases for Roller’s sac fly to center that pushed across Whitehead. Henderson, who returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with an ankle injury, singled through the right side scoring Wood.
The Pirates sent nine hitters to the plate in the second scoring five runs to take a 7-0 lead. Devin Harris led off the inning with the first of two home runs, a solo shot to left field. Dustin Harrington singled to short then took second on Jared Avchen’s sac bunt. Whitehead drew his second walk of the game before Wood loaded the bases with his second bunt single of the game. Batts drove in Harrington with a single to left and Whitehead also scored on a fielding error by left fielder Michael Fuda. Wood touched home on a Gonzales wild pitch while Batts moved up to second just before he stole third. Henderson drove in his second run of the game with a single to left to cap the five-run inning.
Rice plated four runs in the third to cut the Pirates lead to 7-4. Fuda singled to right then took second on a wild pitch. Craig Manuel singled to right scoring Fuda and Steven Sultzbaugh followed with a base hit to right putting runners on first and second. After Brock Holt flied out to left, Jimmy Comerota singled home Manuel from second for the second run of the inning. Rick Hague finished the scoring with a double to left center pushing across Sultzbaugh and Comerota.
Harris blasted his eighth home run of the season and second of the night with a solo shot to right field to start the bottom third extending ECU’s lead to 8-4.
ECU upped its lead to seven, 11-4, after RBI singles by Drew Schieber and Harrington. Batts and Roller drew back-to-back walks and moved up to second and third on Henderson’s sac bunt. Schieber laced a single through the left side the pushed across Batts. Roller came home to score on a passed ball and Schieber touched home on Harrington’s base knock to center.
Rice gained the momentum in the bottom of the sixth when Schieber was robbed of a two-run home run to right field. From that moment on, the Owls would score seven runs over the final three innings to walk away with the first win of the three-game set.
ECU and Rice will be back on the field this afternoon for game two which is slated to start at 3 p.m.