After No. 11 ECU’s 8-2 win over AAC foe Tulane on Saturday stretched the winning streak to eight games and gave them yet another conference series win, head coach Cliff Godwin said that while they’ve done well so far it can all go away like “that” with a snap of his fingers.

That came to fruition on Sunday as ECU (33-11, 13-2 AAC) suffered a 9-8 loss in a back-and-forth game against Tulane (27-16, 9-5 AAC) to just miss sweeping the weekend series. ECU’s 14-game home winning streak ends and so does its eight-game winning streak along with it.

“Our guys competed and that’s the staple of our program. They made a couple of pitches when our guys didn’t make a couple of pitches. We didn’t get a couple of guys in from third base with less than two outs and that was the difference in the game,” Godwin told Hoist the Colours.

“Their offense was really good and for two days, we held them to two runs. I knew that wasn’t going to be the case for the entire weekend. They had some tough at-bats against our relievers.”

The Pirates won’t get a chance to restart that home winning streak for a while, as they travel to Cincinnati next weekend and play their next seven games on the road before returning home on May. 14 against Campbell.

It looked as if ECU would run away with another blowout, getting out to a 5-0 lead. But the Green Wave responded with nine unanswered runs of their own. The Pirates fought back with multiple rally attempts late in the game but couldn’t overcome the deficit.

ECU had the bases loaded in the eighth inning with just one out, but Spencer Brickhouse struck out and Alec Burleson flew out to end the threat. The Pirates had another chance, with the winning run on base in the ninth inning. Ryder Giles grounded into a double play to end the game, leaving Bryant Packard waiting on deck.

Packard finished the game 3-for-5 for ECU, and Burleson was 2-for-5 with five RBI on the day.

“It sucks, but I have full trust in Ryder Giles of course. He’s a freshman, huge spot for him. He executed the plan, hit the ball up the middle, that’s what we wanted to do off that guy. They were pinching a little bit up the middle for the double play and got us. But yeah, I was itching for the at-bat,” Packard told Hoist the Colours.

Tulane, widely known to have one of the best offenses in the country, was dormant through the first two games in the series and only scored two runs. They were shutout for the first time in the season on Friday.

The Green Wave offense got rolling against Tyler Smith, who gave up four runs on six hits over 5.0 innings of work. He started the sixth but was pulled after an RBI double. Evan Voliva came in but gave up three runs and only got two outs.

The Pirates then turned to Gavin Williams, who got out of the sixth inning but gave up two runs and got no outs in the seventh before ECU had to go to Burleson. Burleson threw 2.0 scoreless innings of relief in addition to hitting the big three-run home run in the seventh inning to put ECU within one run of the lead. Cam Colmore then threw a scoreless ninth inning to keep ECU in striking distance.

The Pirates scored first for the third straight game in the series. Brickhouse singled home Packard in the first inning. The Pirates then got four runs in the third inning on a Burleson two-run single, a Thomas Francisco RBI single and a Brady Lloyd RBI groundout.

Another great starting pitching performance from ECU’s dynamic duo of Jake’s led to even more evidence that the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference isn’t close.

ECU left-hander Jake Kuchmaner pitched 8.1 innings, allowing just one run on five hits to lead the Pirates to an 8-2 win over Tulane Saturday afternoon in Clark-LeClair Stadium.

No. 11 ECU (33-10, 13-1 AAC) further stretches its first-place lead atop the conference over Tulane (26-16, 8-5 AAC) with the series win. ECU still has won every conference series it has played so far this season and is now up to an eight-game winning streak.

ECU now has won 14 straight home games, while Tulane is just 5-7 on the road this season. ECU is now up to No. 3 in national RPI rankings as of Saturday night. Kuchmaner doesn’t anticipate ECU thinking about that for too long.

“You think about it for one moment, but then you get back on the horse because there’s more work to do. There’s still however many weeks of the season left, and we’ve got another game tomorrow, so it’s not like we can take our foot off the gas,” Kuchmaner said.

ECU will go for the series sweep Sunday at noon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Kuchmaner followed up fellow left-handed starter Jake Agnos, who pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in a 14-0 win on Friday night. Kuchmaner was much more efficient, however, as Agnos tied a career-high with five walks but Kuchmaner walked just two. That allowed Kuchmaner to go deeper into the game, as he threw just 98 pitches going into the ninth inning.

Kuchmaner got a big ovation from the crowd as he walked out to the mound to start the ninth inning, trying to go for his first complete game since throwing the 29th perfect game in college baseball history on Mar. 17 against Maryland. He gave up a single to the second batter in the inning and ECU head coach Cliff Godwin pulled him for Sam Lanier.

Kuchmaner received an even bigger standing ovation as he left to the dugout. Lanier wasn’t flawless, giving up one run in his time but he got the Pirates to the finish line for the victory.

“I definitely felt good coming into this week. All this week I threw well. Arm felt really good. I expected to go a little bit longer just as myself, so it was good to help the team,” Kuchmaner said.

His last out in the eighth inning was his fifth strikeout of the game, and it came against Tulane’s best hitter Kody Hoese. Hoese came in the weekend ninth in the country with a .417 batting average. Hoese also leads the country with 21 home runs, is the leader in home runs per game and ranks fourth in hits.

As a team, Tulane is second in the country in home runs, 10th in hits, and eighth in runs. Yet ECU has held the Green Wave to one run through two games in the series so far.

“Kuchmaner was huge, and against one of the best offenses in the country. The thing it does is it just allows your bullpen to be really fresh on Sundays because at times on Sunday you don’t have as many options after the first two games. Tomorrow, we’ll have some options in the bullpen, which we’ll probably need for an offense like Tulane’s,” Godwin said.

Tulane starter Gillies struggled mightily, giving up five runs in just 1.1 innings pitched. Campbell did an admirable job out of the bullpen, slowing the ECU offense down by giving up one run in 5.0 innings.

Seth Caddell got the start at catcher because of the rapport he has built up with Kuchmaner throughout the season. Caddell promptly led the Pirates at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a double.

The top five batters, Bryant Packard, Lane Hoover, Spencer Brickhouse, Alec Burleson, and Turner Brown, in the ECU lineup all drove in one run apiece, and Ryder Giles (2-for-3) drove in the sixth run from the nine spot.

Packard finished 3-for-4 and Giles went 2-for-3.

ECU got off to a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Burleson RBI single that scored Packard. Packard singled to start the inning and Hoover moved him on a sacrifice bunt. Brown then doubled to score Burleson from second to make it 2-0 ECU.

ECU tallied another run in the second inning. Caddell scored as Giles reached first base on what should have been a fielding error but was instead ruled a single. After a Packard single, Hoover then singled home Giles to make it 4-0 ECU. Brickhouse grounded out to first base to score Packard from third.

Packard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning to make it 6-0.

“It’s very important, with their offense, to get ahead because they have some really good hitters in that lineup. Getting ahead early with runs and strikes is a big part of beating that team right there,” Caddell said.

Tulane had gone 18 innings without scoring a run before finally getting one across the top of the fourth inning. The Green Wave scored a run, but it still wasn’t all good as it came as the Pirates turned a double play.

Neither team would score again until ECU would add two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Packard doubled and Hoover hit a sacrifice fly to score Giles from third to make it 7-1. Brickhouse then followed with another sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Christian Jayne.

Tulane head coach Travis Jewett was ejected in the inning for arguing balls and strikes.

A matchup between the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference quickly became a one-sided blowout, but ECU starting pitcher Jake Agnos is likely well on his way to history.

Agnos struck out nine in five scoreless innings and the ECU (32-10, 12-1 AAC) offense racked up 13 hits and four home runs on its way to a 14-0 win over Tulane (26-15, 8-4 AAC) on Friday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

That increases ECU’s hold on the top spot in the conference as the season winds down. ECU will go for the series win on Saturday at 4 p.m. Head coach Cliff Godwin downplayed the significance of the victory.

“It doesn’t matter if you win 1-0 or 14-0, it’s just one. I’m super proud of the way our guys showed up,” Godwin said.

Agnos wasn’t as good as his 8.2 innings, 14-strikeout performance against UConn. Agnos tied a career-high with five walks and had to get out of multiple jams. He did so, stranding 11 Tulane hitters on base throughout the game against one of the best offenses around. ECU is the only team to have shutout Tulane all season long.

The biggest jam he got out of was the second inning when he had runners on first and third with nobody out. Agnos promptly struck out three straight to get out unscathed.

“That’s what it comes down to, who can make plays in the clutch. I think we’re such a good clutch hitting and pitching team that it’s what separates us,” Agnos said.

Agnos recorded his 100th strikeout of the season during the win. Agnos is now just the seventh pitcher in ECU history to accomplish that and the first since 2010. The record for the most strikeouts in a single season in ECU history is 119.

Agnos has been the Friday night starter in the rotation, and ECU has three more regular season games, games against Cincinnati, Wichita State and Memphis.

“It’s cool and I couldn’t have walked up at the beginning of the season and said it would happen, because I didn’t think it could. There is a lot of hard work that this team puts in, and I’m just glad I can contribute and help out a little bit,” Agnos said.

Catcher Jake Washer went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and first baseman Spencer Brickhouse and outfielder Bryant Packard each hit two-run home runs to lead the offensive attack against the Green Wave.

Brickhouse finished 1-for-3 with two RBI, three runs scored and two walks. Packard finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Seth Caddell and Nick Barber went back-to-back with solo home runs in the eighth inning.

“It puts a chip on your shoulder because we want to show them that we can hit, too,” Packard said.

Tulane starter Kaleb Roper went 4.0 innings despite giving up 10 runs, nine of them earned. The Green Wave used two other relievers for the next four innings, and they gave up a combined four runs.

The game was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but got pushed back to an 8 p.m. start time because of lightning and thunderstorms in the area.

Agnos got the first batter out on a diving catch by Alec Burleson in left field. Then the fans were treated to another delay, this time a 19-minute delay in the top of the first inning because the lights behind home plate went out.

ECU has been used to changes all season. The Pirates have played six doubleheaders this season, and only one of them was actually intended to be a doubleheader.

The ECU players tried to stay loose, as Packard pitched to Jake Washer while Burleson was the umpire during the break (Packard struck out Garrett Saylor and Burleson toying with Brickhouse with an exaggerated strike call.

Brickhouse hit a two-run home run (12th of the year) in the bottom of the first inning.

ECU then broke the game open with a six-run third inning. Packard hit a two-run home run (sixth of the year) to make it 4-0 ECU. Washer then lined a two-run double down the first base line to make it 6-0. Dusty Baker roped an RBI single in the inning to score Washer and make it 7-0. Brady Lloyd traded places with Baker on an RBI double to push it to 8-0. Ryder Giles then reached on a fielding error.

ECU added two more runs in the fourth inning. Washer singled to score Hoover and Turner Brown laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Brickhouse.

The Pirates continued that with two more runs in the seventh inning. Connor Norby lined an RBI single to score Nick Barber and Ryder Giles hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Chandler Jenkins.

Caddell and Barber added solo home runs in the eighth inning to make it 14-0. It was Barber’s first home run of his career.

Agnos was followed up by Zach Barnes (2.0 innings pitched), Garrett Saylor (1.0) and Giles (1.0)

The 11th ranked ECU baseball team can do no wrong right now. Head coach Cliff Godwin’s every decision turns into the correct one at some point or another. This is what it looks like when a team is simply rolling.

ECU coasted to a 10-7 road win over Old Dominion on Wednesday. The score made the game seem closer than it really was, but it was 10-2 going into the final inning before ODU racked up five quick runs with two home runs on a freshman pitcher. Enough to make ECU sweat, but never really putting the outcome of the game in real question.

This win marks six straight wins for the Pirates since being swept by UCLA. ECU (31-10) is firing on all cylinders going into an important weekend series with Tulane, a matchup of the top two teams in the AAC. ECU leads the conference at 11-1 while Tulane is 8-3.

ECU also went 2-0 in its midweek games this week, defeating UNCW 8-5 on Tuesday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

“I was really worried about these two games. Yesterday was a big rivalry and a four-and-a-half hour game basically. We were turning around quickly after an emotional win and got on the bus and drove two-and-a-half hours.” Godwin told Hoist the Colours. “I was worried about the lull, the let-down. I thought Burleson gave us a great start and what Gavin Williams did, I thought that was the difference.”

It was another one of Godwin’s staff days, as has become the norm for midweek games. This one, like others, worked out well. Alec Burleson got the start and pitched four innings, giving up just three hits and one run on a solo shot. That was actually Burleson’s longest outing since he pitched five innings against Utah on Mar. 1 in the LeClair Classic.

He was replaced by Evan Odum. Odum struggled, giving up three straight singles and leaving without getting anyone out. So Godwin’s next decision worked out for him.

Gavin Williams took over for him with the bases loaded and nobody out in a 5-1 game and steadied ECU during a pivotal point in the game. He allowed a sacrifice fly to the first hitter he faced to make it 5-2. Williams then managed to get the next two batters out to get ECU out of the jam relatively unharmed.

“Gavin was the MVP tonight. Coming in with the bases loaded and no outs and giving up one run was huge,” Godwin told Hoist the Colours.

Lane Hoover made an incredible diving catch on the sacrifice fly to prevent much more damage from happening.

Williams would go on to pitch through two more innings without giving up any more runs. Cam Colmore pitched 0.2 innings without a hiccup, but Carter Spivey had a very rough outing in his 1.0 innings pitched. Spivey gave up five runs in the ninth inning by way of a grand slam and a solo home run two batters later.

Spivey had not pitched since Mar. 2 when he also struggled by allowing three runs without recording an out against Wright State in the LeClair Classic. He struggled so much so that Godwin had to turn to Garrett Saylor (0.1) to finish off the final out. Saylor retired the only batter he faced.

“(Garrett Saylor) hasn’t pitched hardly in a month and he’s coming in there and pounding the zone with three pitches. He will be able to pitch more for us now because that was a huge situation,” Godwin told Hoist the Colours.

ECU totaled 12 hits as a team, and six different players drove in at least one run. Hoover had one of the more impressive individual impacts, with a diving catch in the field as well as going 3-for-4 at the plate. Jake Washer also went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

“The ball wasn’t flying out of here today so it was easier to shorten up, let it get deeper and try to shoot it the other way,” Washer told Hoist the Colours.

It was just the second time this season that Hoover totaled three hits in a game. He also went 3-for-4 (with two RBI) against Utah on Mar. 1 during the LeClair Classic.

ECU scored first in the third inning on a Dusty Baker RBI double and then a throwing error by ODU that allowed Brady Lloyd to reach base and Baker to score. The Pirates tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning as Jake Washer lined an RBI single to score Turner Brown. Bryant Packard was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 4-0.

ODU got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with a Will Morgan solo home run. Only the third hit of the game allowed by Burleson up to that point.

Washer repeated his previous at-bat when he drove home Brown with an RBI single once again in the fifth inning to push the Pirate lead back out to four runs.

ECU broke the game open late in the eighth inning. Ryder Giles roped a two-run single to score Hoover and Christian Jayne. Brickhouse followed that up with a two-run single of his own. Brown then laid down a sac bunt to score Nick Barber and cap off the five-run inning for ECU.

ODU made it close with the five-run ninth inning, using a grand slam and a solo shot with two outs left in the inning to cut the lead to three before faltering.

The first pitch between ECU and Tulane on Friday comes at 6:30 p.m. ECU Athletics has been vocal about trying to break the attendance record during Friday night’s game.

The nature of a rivalry game is that a seemingly slow-moving game, with one team controlling all the action, can suddenly turn into a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to pull away until the end.

And so it was for the No. 11 ECU Pirates, who had to endure four ties and two lead changes, all after the fifth inning, to defeat in-state rival UNC-Wilmington 8-5 on Tuesday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

It was the final game in Greenville for UNCW head coach Mark Scalf, who gave ECU head coach Cliff Godwin his first ever coaching job. ECU honored Scalf before the game began.

“I knew it was going to be tough, we talked about it before the game. You can throw records out when it’s a rivalry and it was Coach Scalf’s last time coming here. They played really well,” Godwin told Hoist the Colours.

In the end, it was ECU (30-10) surviving the marathon (four hours, nine minutes to make the longest game of the season) game to earn its 11th straight home win and give UNCW (20-22) their sixth straight loss.

Despite the rivalry, which includes UNCW eliminating ECU from the Greenville regional last postseason, ECU completed the season sweep of the Seahawks.

Trey Benton pitched great for ECU as he went 3.1 scoreless innings. Benton gave up just four hits and struck out six batters. Godwin would call on five relievers to get through the rest of the game, with Sam Lanier (2.2), Evan Voliva (1.0), Cam Colmore (0.1), Zach Barnes (1.1) and Alec Burleson (0.1) finishing it off. Voliva and Colmore each gave up two runs and Lanier gave up one.

ECU got on the board first with a Spencer Brickhouse RBI groundout to make it 1-0 in the first inning. It was uneventful from there as the score remained 1-0 until the sixth inning.

Then the offense started coming and both teams went back and forth at each other for three consecutive innings, starting with the sixth as UNCW tied it at 1-1 in the inning.

The Pirates responded as a Seth Caddell two-run triple made it 3-1 ECU in the bottom half of the inning, but UNCW added two more runs in the seventh inning to make it 3-3 again. Caddell would finish 2-for-4 with two RBI.

“They were tough today and we played tough too. They had a lot of good at-bats with two strikes and got back in the count, and we didn’t make good pitches sometimes and they made us pay. It was a tough game,” Caddell told Hoist the Colours.

A Brickhouse RBI double in the bottom half of the inning made it 4-3 but, you guessed it, UNCW responded with two runs in the eighth to make it 5-4. Brickhouse finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.

A Packard RBI double made it 5-5 in the eighth, then UNCW unraveled and couldn’t respond any longer. A fielding error allowed two runs to score to make it 7-5 and Alec Burleson capped it off with an RBI single to make it 8-5.

“Really impressed by the resilience of our offense where the last three innings they scored and we scored in the bottom half,” Godwin told Hoist the Colours. “The game was in the eighth. They put up two runs and we answered with four, and that’s how we won the game.”

That’s when Burleson had to come on the mound in the ninth inning with two outs and UNCW had the tying run on base after he allowed a hit. Burleson would promptly get the last hitter out and get the save for ECU.

Packard led the offense by going 3-for-4 with three doubles and three runs scored.

“It shows the resilience of this team, we’re a really tough team. Especially against a team like that, they’re a great-coached team with Coach Scalf and you saw what they did to us in a regional last year. They’re a really hard-nosed team, but you can say we out-toughed them tonight,” Packard told Hoist the Colours.

The game was played Tuesday because it was pushed back from its earlier date in the season due to weather.

ECU has one more midweek game, a 6 p.m. road start against Old Dominion before an important weekend series with Tulane.