Pirates Torch Longwood 11-1 in Season Opener
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GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina pounded out 15 hits with Turner Brown and Eric Tyler each recording three in an 11-1 season opening win over Longwood Friday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Brown, a true freshman, was 3-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and scored a pair of runs in his collegiate debut. Tyler opened his junior campaign with a 3-for-5 day and one RBI, while Garrett Brooks, Bryce Harman and Parker Lamm each added a pair of hits for ECU.
Junior Evan Kruczynski (1-0) picked up the win tossing seven scoreless frames allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out four. Freshman Sam Lanier made his Pirate debut working the eighth frame where he allowed one run (earned) on two hits. Senior Nick Durazo closed out the game working a scoreless ninth surrendering a walk and striking out one.
Travis Burnette (0-1) took the loss for the Lancers giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits in 5.1 innings with five strikeouts. Jon Peterson was touched for six runs (all earned) on eight hits in 2.1 frames, while Cameron Trichka allowed a pair of hits in a third of an inning.
How It Happened:After a pair of scoreless innings by both clubs, ECU got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Parker Lamm scored from second on a throwing error by Michael Osinski on Travis Watkins’ ground to short. Bryce Harman followed with an RBI single to center that plated Watkins from second staking the Pirates to an early 2-0 lead.
Freshman Turner Brown extended ECU’s lead to 5-0 after belting a two-run homer in the fourth frame and singling home fellow classmate Dwanya Williams-Sutton with a two-base hit to center.
Tyler’s RBI single to center plated Watkins in the seventh for a 6-0 advantage. Watkins, who was 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, was hit by a pitch then moved to third on Harman’s second base hit of the night.
Longwood plated its only run of the day in the eighth on C.J. Roth’s single to center that scored Sammy Miller from third base. Miller doubled to center off Lanier and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
ECU scored five runs in the bottom half of the eighth capping the contest at 11-1. Lamm drove in a run with a single to left, Watkins had a two-RBI double to left and Williams-Sutton drove in the first runs of his collegiate career with a two-RBI single to center.
Game Notes:Brown (SS) and Dwanya Williams-Sutton (DH) each made their collegiate debuts … Brown singled up the middle in his first at-bat, while Williams-Sutton drew a walk … Five Pirates had multiple hits with Brown and Tyler each recording three … Brown was a triple away from hitting for the cycle – got hit by a pitch in his last at-bat of the contest … Seven of ECU’s nine starters scored at least one run, while eight had at least one hit … Nine of ECU’s 11 runs came with two outs – last year 117 of its 270 RBI were with two outs … The Pirates batted .500 (8-for-16) with two outs compared to the Lancers, .091 (1-for-11) … With the win, ECU improves to 44-25 on opening day.
Up Next:The Pirates and Lancers will continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. (EST
-ECU Press Release
