GREENVILLE, N.C. – Kirk Morgan and Eric Tyler each drove in a pair of runs during East Carolina’s six-run eighth inning propelling the Pirates to a 9-3 win over Virginia Commonwealth Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.

With the win the Pirates (16-7) snap a five-game losing streak to the Rams (10-10) and tie the three-game non-conference series at one-all.

Morgan (4-0) picked up another win in relief allowing one run (unearned) on one hit with four strikeouts in a career-high three frames. Jacob Wolfe surrendered a pair of runs (both earned) on six hits with four punch-outs in 5.1 innings. The lefty was perfect through 3.2 innings until giving up a base hit to Matt Davis in the fourth, who would score a batter later on Vimael Machin’s double.

Joe Ingle made his eighth appearance out of the pen working two-thirds of a scoreless inning. After allowing a single to the first batter he faced, which loaded the bases for the Rams in the sixth, Ingle struck out pinch hitter Brett Hileman and got Cody Acker to fly out to left to end the threat.

Thomas Gill (0-2) took the loss allowing all six of ECU’s runs in the eighth inning (five earned). The righty lasted just two-thirds of an inning allowing three hits, walking two and hitting one. Starter Heath Dwyer scattered a pair of hits over five frames giving up three runs (one earned) with four punch-outs. Garrett Pearson (1.1 IP) and Tyler Buckley (1.0) each had scoreless outings.

Though ECU was out-hit 8-6 on the day, the Pirates capitalized on seven VCU errors.  Jackson Mims led the club with two hits and drove in a pair, while Travis Watkins extended his hit streak to 14 games with an infield single in the eighth. Tyler pushed his hit streak to seven games with a  1-for-3 outing and was credited with the game-winning RBI scoring a pair of runs in the sixth on a double down the left field line.

UP NEXT:

ECU and VCU will conclude the three-game non-conference series Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. (ET) scheduled first pitch at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

How It Happened:

Late in the game with a three-all tie, ECU exploded for six runs in the eighth off four hits and a pair of Ram miscues giving the Pirates a 9-3 win. With one out, Hunter Allen and Bryce Harman drew consecutive walks and Luke Lowery loaded the bases when a Gill pitch hit him. Tyler dug in and scorched a two-RBI double down the left field line giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead.

Watkins kept the inning going with an infield single that loaded the bases for Yorgen, who singled to right easily plating Lowery and Tyler. With runners on second and third, Morgan sent a shot through the left side of the infield past a diving Machin scoring Watkins and Yorgen to close the six-run frame.

ECU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the third on Parker Lamm’s RBI ground out pushing across Mims. VCU responded in the top half of the fourth on Machin’s double to right field scoring Davis and knotting the game at one-all.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Pirates took the lead for the second time on a two-out two-RBI infield single by Mims that allowed Watkins and Yorgen to cross home. Both Watkins and Yorgen reached on a pair of errors before Mims’ second base knock of the day.

VCU added a run in the sixth off Davis’ double and one in the seventh on a Pirate fielding error tying the game at three.

Inside The Box Score:

ECU was 5-for-11 with RISP, 4-for-6 with runners on third and less than two outs and a perfect 2-for-2 with the bases loaded … The Pirates advanced runners at a 63.6 clip (14-for-22) and had two, two-out RBI pushing their season total to 80 … VCU managed to get its leadoff hitter aboard just once (1-for-9), while failing to score with the bases loaded (0-for-4) … The Rams left nine runners on base, while the Pirates left six.

Game Notes:

Watkins extended his hit streak to a career-best 14 games … Yorgen extended his streak of reaching base safely to 23 games with his RBI single in the eighth inning … Harman scored his team-leading 23rd run in the eighth pushing his streak with at least one run scored to nine game (12 of the last 13) … Harman (19 games), Lowery (18), Watkins (15), Allen (14) Tyler (13) all extended their streaks of reaching base safely … Since starting the season 0-3, ECU has won 16 of its last 20 games.

Malcolm W. Gray

Director Athletic Media Relations
East Carolina University