No. 11 ECU handles Columbia in series opener, 17-3

GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 11 East Carolina spotted Columbia an early one-run lead Friday night but scored nine unanswered runs on the way to a 17-3 series-opening win at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Parker Byrd pinch hits, strikes out in ECU’s game with Columbia

The Pirates (12-4) ran their winning streak to five games as well as improved to 7-1 at home this season. Conversely, the Lions (3-9) continued a string of games against quality opponents having played six contests versus Top 25 squads thus far in 2024.

ECU inserted 18 position players into the game at various points and used four pitchers to wrap up the victory. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart paced the offensive efforts with three hits, two runs scored and four RBI while Ryley Johnson , Bristol Carter and Walker Barron all contributed a pair of hits. Cole Hage and Sam Miller both posted a hit and drove in a run for Columbia.

Trey Yesavage (4-0) was his usual steady self, racking up 10 strikeouts and allowing just one earned run in six innings of work. Derek Yoo (1-1) took the loss, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Hage would give the Lions a brief advantage in the top of the first with a one out home run that just cleared the wall in right field. The Pirates responded in the bottom of the second with a four spot, including a two-run long ball off the bat of Johnson – his first of the season. Dixon Williams produced a sac bunt RBI in the frame while Wilcoxen scored on a fielding error to leave East Carolina ahead 4-1 after two complete.

Johnson was hit by a pitch to begin the fifth inning and Carter Cunningham followed with a single to left. Both runners would move into scoring position via a passed ball while Jenkins-Cowart kept the line moving with a two-run single through the right side to make it 6-1. Joey Berini later put down a perfect squeeze bunt that permitted both Jacob Starling and Jenkins-Cowart to trot home for a seven-run ECU cushion.

Berini would add another RBI to his ledger with a single in the sixth before the Lions took advantage of a few wild pitches to scratch across a run in the seventh. The Pirates put the game away for good in the home half of the inning, exploding for eight runs on five hits. Jenkins-Cowart sparked the scoring with a two-run single while Wilcoxen added an RBI groundout and Bristol Carter collected a two-run single. Walker Barron enjoyed a nice moment in the frame with his first collegiate RBI (single through the right side) and Nick Parham followed suit with his first run driven thanks to getting hit by a 1-2 offering.

Charlie Hodges made his first appearance of the season on the mound in the top of the eighth, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts and a grounder to first for the unassisted Cam Clonch putout. Miller registered a consolation run for Columbia in the top of the ninth with a leadoff solo shot, but Ethan Norby worked around a two-out walk to seal the victory.

• East Carolina improved to 2-1 against Columbia in the all-time series.
• The Pirates posted a season high in runs scored.
• ECU logged double-digit hits for the seventh time this campaign and is 6-1 in those contests.
• The Pirates registered eight two-out RBI and were 5-for-6 (.833) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
• Cunningham extended his hitting streak to 16 games and has recorded at least one base knock in every outing this year.

Up Next: The teams reconvene for game two of the series Saturday at 4 p.m.

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