Photo courtesy of ecupirates.com
The No. 12 ranked ECU Pirates went into it’s Elon midweek game and played like they had to avenge the past weekend’s series sweep at the hands of the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins.
ECU (26-10) scored five first-inning runs and seven runs in the first three innings in a 9-4 road win over Elon (21-16) on Tuesday night. ECU outfielder Bryant Packard (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI) and shortstop Turner Brown (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) led the Pirates at the plate.
The first three Pirates reached base safely. Packard led off the game with a single and Brown singled right after him. Spencer Brickhouse got the Pirates on the board then when he hit a three-run home run (nine on the year). One batter later, Jake Washer followed with a solo shot (seven on the year) to make it 4-0. Brady Lloyd’s RBI single to score Dusty Baker made it 5-0 in the first inning and capped the big opening inning.
Evan Odum was the star on the mound as he went 3.2 innings, by far his longest outing of the season, and gave up just one run. Odum threw those innings scoreless and only came out of the game after giving up a solo home run in the eighth inning. Sam Lanier then pitched the last 1.1 innings scoreless to close out the game for ECU.
But Alec Burleson got the start and the win to get to 3-1 on the year. It was a bullpen day, however, as Godwin has used many times during the season, and Burleson went just two innings. Burleson gave up two runs, one via a sacrifice fly in the first inning and the other on an RBI single in the second inning. Burleson had begun the season as a starter but switched to the bullpen and hadn’t started a game since Mar. 1.
Cam Colmore followed him with two innings as well. Colmore gave up just one run, a solo home run in the fourth inning.
Elon starter Mason Daniels gave up five first-inning runs before being chased. After him, the Phoenix bullpen gave up four runs over the last eight innings. Packard singled home Lloyd in the third inning and Brown singled home Packard to make it 7-2 in the third inning. Packard added a solo home run in the eighth inning (fifth of the year), and Lloyd ended the scoring with a ninth-inning RBI single.
ECU now turns its attention to a conference series against UConn. The Huskies are currently third in the AAC standings and are a legitimate threat to the Pirates’ top spot. It will be ECU’s first AAC action since defeating Houston on April 6 almost two weeks ago.
That series will be in Clark-LeClair Stadium, being played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with Sunday off for Easter. The Pirates will likely feel good about being at home, after playing 15 out of the last 19 games on the road.