GREENVILLE — East Carolina topped Towson 12-7 on Sunday to complete a three-game nonconference sweep at Clark-LeClair Stadium as freshmen led the way for the Pirates.
Freshman Bryant Packard went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, a run and a walk. Classmate Spencer Brickhouse was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs.
Starting right-hander Tyler Smith (1-0) became the third freshman to win a game for ECU in the series as he went five innings. Smith allowed three hits and two runs, one earned, while walking one and striking out one.
Sam Lanier and Ryan Ross saw brief mound stints before Joe Ingle pitched the last two innings for his first save of the season.
After the Tigers (8-10) struck for a run in the first, the Pirates (17-8) tied the score with a run in the second. ECU went ahead to stay with three runs in the third.
Packard got the Pirates started with a two-out single in the second. Bryce Harman was hit by a pitch to move Packard to second and Nick Barber had an RBI single.
Brickhouse and Eric Tyler had back-to-back homers to begin a three-run fifth for ECU. Luke Bolka was hit by a pitch before Packard and Harman walked to load the bases.
A sacrifice fly by Barber gave the Pirates a 7-2 lead.
Bolka doubled down the left field line with two out in the and scored to put ECU ahead 8-2 in the sixth.
Towson scored four times in the seventh and once in the eighth to close the gap to 8-7 before the Pirates added four runs in the bottom of the eighth for the final margin.
Bolka walked to start ECU in the eighth and Dusty Baker came in to pinch run. Packard had a ground-rule double that put Baker at third. Drew Henrickson pinch ran for Packard before Harman drew a walk.
A bases-loaded walk to Barber brought in Baker and Henrickson came home on a wild pitch.
Turner Brown and Travis Watkins had sacrifice flies to complete the scoring.
Brown and Tyler each had two hits with a double.
The Pirates host Liberty (14-8) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
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