Pirates Win Fourth Straight with an 11-2 Victory over N.C. A&T
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Charlie Yorgen recorded a career-high four hits, while Bryce Harman drove in three runs helping East Carolina to an 11-2 win over N.C. A&T Tuesday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
With the win the Pirates extend their current home winning streak to seven games and improve to 4-0 on the season and the Aggies drop to 0-4.
Kirk Morgan (1-0) picked up the win in just his second career start and improved to 5-0 on the mound for his career. The right-hander worked 3.0 innings allowing a pair of runs (both earned) on four this with three strikeouts. Evan Voliva made his season debut tossing two scoreless frames with a pair of punch outs. A quartet of freshmen hurlers in Sam Lanier, Chris Holba (one strikeout), Matt Bridges (walk, two strikeouts) and Cam Colmore (three strikeouts) each worked scoreless innings of relief.
Will Greene (0-1) suffered the loss giving up six runs (all earned) on eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 4.0 innings. KJ McAlister gave up three runs without recording an out before passing the ball to Matt Stanley, who surrendered five hits with two strikeouts in 3.0 frames. B. Smith worked the final inning allowing a pair of runs on two hits.
Yorgen led the Pirates 15-hit attack going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Garrett Brooks added three hits, while Parker Lamm and Dwanya Williams-Sutton recorded a pair of base knocks. Harman drove in a team-best three runs, while six others recorded an RBI.
How It Happened:ECU jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first inning sending 10 batters to the plate. Lamm drew and opening frame walk, Yorgen reached on the first of two bunt singles for the night and Travis Watkins loaded the bases with another free pass from Greene. Harman cleared the bases with a three-run triple to left center, the third of his career, staking the Pirates to a 3-0 advantage.
With one out, Williams-Sutton stroked a double to left center scoring Harman. Garret Brooks followed with the second triple of the inning that plated Williams-Sutton and Brooks would score during Luke Bolka’s at-bat on a wild pitch to make it a 6-0 contest.
Lance Jensen finally got the Aggies on the board in the second inning with a sac fly to left field that scored Dawnoven Smith, who singled to center to start the stanza and took third on Timothy Ravare’s double down the left field line.
The Aggies scored its second run of the night an inning later cutting the lead to four, 6-2. Joey Hill doubled down the left field line and Myles Sowell reached when he was hit by a pitch. Milton Rivera grounded into a 5-3 double play with Sowell taking second. Adan Ordonez’ lone hit was a single through the right side that plated Sowell.
ECU would score three runs in the fifth highlighted by sac flies from Turner Brown and Watkins for a 9-2 lead. A sac fly by Kendall Ford and an RBI single by Bolka in the eighth pushed the Pirates lead to 11-2 and capped the scoring on the day.
Game Notes:For the third time in four games, ECU pounded out double-digit hits … Yorgen tallied his 33rd career multi-hit game … Harman extended his current hitting streak to seven games, while Lamm’s went to five games – both started in 2015 … The Pirates had just one two-out RBI pushing their season total to 13 … Harman collected his second game-winning RBI (came in first inning) of the season and eighth of his career … ECU advanced runners in the contest at a 46.4 percent clip (13-for-28), while the leadoff hitter reached base in 4 of 8 innings (scoring three times) … The Pirates swiped a game-high six bases with Williams-Sutton picking up a pair … ECU is now 11 of 12 on the base paths this season.
ECU will hit the road for the first time this season when it travels Charlottesville, Virginia to take on defending National Champion Virginia in a three-game series starting Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. (EST) at Davenport Field.
