UNCW fails to give Coach Scalf win 900 in loss to ECU

WILMINGTON, N.C. (UNCWSports.com) – East Carolina plated five runs, three earned, in the top of the fifth and held off UNCW late for a 5-4 non-conference win on Wednesday at Brooks Field.

The Pirates, ranked as high as 10th in the national polls, upped their record to 35-12 and finished off a sweep of the annual home-and-home series. The Seahawks saw their modest three-game winning streak halted and dipped to 29-18.

ECU reliever Zach Barnes (2-0) earned the win with two innings out of the pen and David Kirkpatrick closed out the game, stranding two runners on base for his second save of the season.

Luke Gesell (2-1) took the loss for the Seahawks, also in relief.

Spencer Brickhouse held game-high honors with three hits and plated two runs with a bases-clearing triple early in the fifth inning. Alec Burleson added two hits as did Dwanya Williams-Sutton.

Cole Weiss paced the Seahawks with two hits.

Up next: The Seahawks return to Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend with three game at conference-leading Northeastern. Game one is set for 2:30 p.m. at Friedman Diamond in Brookline, Mass.

How it happened: Trailing 3-0 in the fifth, ECU sent 10 batters to the plate and began the inning with a walk. Williams-Sutton followed with a single to left and Brickhouse tripled into the rightfield corner off Gesell, scoring two. He later scored the tying run on a single by Burelson. With runners on second and third and two outs, ECU pushed across the final two runs on a Seahawk fielding error.

Inside the box score: The teams combined for 13 walks and 26 strikeouts … ECU had the game’s only two-out hits … Both teams combined to go 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.

Notes: Mason Berne extended his consecutive games on base streak to 41 with a ninth inning double, which also pushed his hitting streak to 10 games … The loss for the Seahawk bullpen was just the fourth of the season … UNCW starter Landen Roupp tossed four shutout innings, lowering his earn run average to 2.59 on the season … The Seahawks dipped to 11-2 in one-run games.