Seahawks & Pirates both earn Friday baseball victories
WILMINGTON, NC (COURTESY UNCWSPORTS.COM) — Behind four home runs and six innings of one-run baseball from starter Alex Royalty, UNCW cruised past William & Mary, 11-1, in the first of a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series on Friday at Brooks Field.
The Seahawks evened their record at 10-10 while the Tribe dipped to 12-9. It was the conference opener for both teams.
Casey Golden opened the home run parade with a leadoff round tripper, his eighth of the season, in the first inning. UNCW then saw back-to-back-to-back home runs off the bats of Nick Feight, Mason Berne and Ryan Jeffers in a five-run third inning as UNCW built a 5-0 lead. Feight finished with three runs batted on the night while adding a single later in the game. Berne held game-high honors with three hits while Golden added two hits of his own.
Royalty (3-1), struggled in the first inning, but sailed into the sixth inning before losing his shutout bid on home run by Hunter Smith. The righthander tied his career-high with seven strikeouts and scattered four hits over his six innings.
Smith was the only Tribe player with a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-2.
Starter Nick Brown (2-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing all 11 runs, eighth earned, on nine hits and a pair of walks in five innings.
Up next: The series continues with a 2 p.m. start on Saturday. Logan Beehler (1-3) will make the start for the Seahawks while the Tribe turns to Bodie Sheehan (4-1).
How it happened: Leading 1-0 going into the bottom of the third, Feight belted his seventh homer of the season with two men on for a 4-0 lead. Berne then followed with his fifth of the season to centerfield and Jeffers hit his first of the season to complete the scoring and give UNCW a 6-0 lead.
Home Runs: WM: Smith (off Royalty in the sixth inning, bases empty, one out); UNCW: Golden (off Brown in the first inning, leadoff), Feight (off Brown in the third, two on, one out), Berne (off Brown in the third, bases empty, one out), Jeffers (off Brown in the third, bases empty, one out)
Inside the box score: The Seahawks were 3-for-8 with RISP and landed their leadoff hitter on base four times … W&M finished 0-for-3 with RISP and only got its leadoff hitter on base once … UNCW plated a runner from third base and less than two outs, three times … There was only one, two-out hit on the night (Golden).
Notes: Golden has now twice led off games with home runs (Towson, Apr. 20, 2014) … UNCW tied a season high with four home runs … Brian Mims extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first inning single … Golden also extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games … Mims (15), Feight (14) and Golden (13) all extended their on-base streaks … UNCW improved to 6-0 when scoring 10+ runs in a game … The Seahawks have raised their team batting average to .264, a jump of 26 points over the last six games.
GREENVILLE, NC (ECUPIRATES.COM) — Jake Agnos recorded his first collegiate win, while a trio of Pirates in Eric Tyler, Dwanya Williams-Sutton and Charlie Yorgen each added three hits helping No. 25 East Carolina to a 9-4 series opening win over Towson Friday night at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 15-8 on the season and the Tigers fall to 8-8.
Making his third start of the season, Agnos (1-0) picked up the win allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings. Sam Lanier notched his first save of the year retiring all nine batters he faced (three via strikeout) in his three innings of bullpen work.
Dean Stramara (1-2) took the loss allowing four runs (all earned) on five hits with a strikeout in one-plus inning of work. Matt Allen was touched for three runs (all earned) in 3.2 frames, while Brandyn Vogtsberger surrendered a pair of runs (both earned) 2.1 innings. Alex Parker tossed an inning of shutout relief with one strikeout.
ECU out-hit Towson 15-8 on the evening with eight of the starting nine recording at least one hit and scoring a run. Tyler and Yorgen each drove in three runs, while Bryce Harman plated a pair on his two-hit night. Tyler laced three doubles in four plate appearances, while Travis Watkins scored a pair of runs.
Billy Lennox led the Tiger with three hits, while Richard Miller added a pair including a solo home run. Miller also scored a team-best two runs.
How It Happened:
ECU scored runs in five of its first six innings on its way to a 9-4 victory, which snapped a four-game home losing streak.
Towson took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Logan Burke’s RBI fielder’s choice that scored Colin Dyer, who singled through the left side with one out. Dyer took third when Richie Palacios reached on a fielding error by Turner Brown before coming home during Burke’s at-bat.
ECU answered in the home half of the first taking a 3-1 lead on four hits. Williams-Sutton led off with a single to right field and took second on a fielding miscue by Dyer. Yorgen followed with an RBI single to right center. With Watkins standing on first thanks to his fielder’s choice, Spencer Brickhouse doubled down the right field line putting runners at second and third with one out. Tyler then laced the first of his three doubles, a two-RBI shot, double down the left field line scoring both runners for a two-run advantage.
Yorgen’s two-RBI double pushed the Pirates lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the second. Andrew Henrickson singled, which was followed by a Dusty Baker walk to get the frame started. With one out, Yorgen ripped an Allen pitch to right-center clearing the bases.
Harman extended the Pirates lead to five, 6-1, in the bottom of the third. Brown tripled to right field with one out and came home on Harman’s single through the right side extending his hit streak to six games.
Towson plated two runs in the top of the fourth on a pair of singles pulling within three, 6-3. The Tigers drew consecutive one-out walks before Cuinn Mullins singled to right pushing across Colin Gimblet. Two batters later, Lennox’ infield single off Agnos’ glove scored Miller.
Harman delivered his second RBI of the game with an infield single that scored Tyler from third base in the bottom of the fifth extending ECU’s lead to 7-3.
Miller’s solo home run to right field, his first of the year, made it a 7-4 game in the top of the sixth inning.
ECU added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI sac fly by Brickhouse and another RBI double by Tyler capping the scoring at 9-4.
Up Next:
ECU and Towson will play game two of the series Saturday, March 25 with a 4 p.m. (ET) scheduled first pitch.
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