Pirates regroup for win,
await fate
From electronic and staff reports
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
East Carolina combined solid pitching,
productive hitting and efficient defense to end its rocky foray in the
Conference USA Championship tournament on a smoother note with a 10-3
victory over UAB Saturday afternoon at Trustmark Park in Pearl, MS.
After suffering
an error-tainted loss to Tulane on
Wednesday and
an embarrassing "mercy rule" blowout by Central
Florida on Friday, the Pirates salvaged a bit of tourney
pride with the impressive win over the Blazers and propped up their chances
of landing a regional invitation when NCAA postseason bids are announced on
Monday.
ECU jumped on UAB starter Ruben Tresgallo for
two runs in the 1st inning and never trailed thanks to solid pitching
performances from freshman righthander Jeff Hoffman and junior righthander
Andy Smithmyer.
The Blazers countered with a score in the
bottom of the 1st, but the Pirates struck back when sophomore first baseman
Chase McDonald belted a homer to left center in the 2nd for a 3-1 lead.
UAB leveraged a walk and three singles into
the tying runs in the 6th but was unable to mount another offensive threat
as Hoffman retired the side in order in the 7th and Smithmyer parceled out
lone singles in each of the final two frames.
ECU claimed the lead for good in the 8th when
senior third baseman Corey Thompson led off with a single, took second on a
balk, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior outfielder/first baseman
John Wooten and scored on a wild pitch.
The Pirates put an exclamation point on the
triumph with a six-run explosion in the 9th. ECU banged out six hits during
the outburst, including a two-run double by Wooten, and benefited from a
walk and an error. All of the runs were scored with two outs.
Hoffman (3-1) got the win after logging seven
innings, surrendering three runs on six hits and three walks. Smithmyer
picked up his first save of the season by keeping the Blazers at bay over
the final two frames.
Thompson, Wooten and senior catcher Zach
Wright each had three hits for the Pirates. Thompson scored three runs, and
he and Wright recorded two RBIs apiece.
After experiencing breakdowns in various
phases of the game in the losses to Tulane and UCF, the Pirates finally
clicked in their tourney finale, getting steady pitching from start to
finish, playing error-free ball and outhitting the Blazers 15-8.
For No. 7 seed UAB, the tournament is not
over. Thanks to upset wins over No. 2 UCF on Thursday and 3rd-seed Tulane on
Friday, the Blazers (31-28) will meet 5th-seed Memphis (31-27) on Sunday (2
p.m., CBS Sports Network) for the C-USA championship and the league's
automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
The Tigers reached the title game by knocking
off No. 4 Southern Miss on Wednesday and top-seed Rice on Thursday before
absorbing an inconsequential loss to 8th-seed Houston on Friday.
A win will be a coveted prize for either team
as neither UAB nor Memphis has the RPI credentials to receive serious
consideration for an at-large NCAA postseason invitation.
Meanwhile, the Pirates (35-22-1) will make the
trek back to Greenville and bide their time, hoping to hear their school's
name called when the NCAA Division I Tournament brackets are announced at
noon Monday on ESPNU and ESPN3.
PAGE UPDATED
05/27/12 05:06 AM.
Copyright © Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.
No content on this site may be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any fashion without explicit
written permission from the
editor. Information from Bonesville staff members, East Carolina University, Conference USA
and other sources was used in composing and/or compiling the articles
and data on this site. This site is editorially independent and is not
affiliated with East Carolina University or Conference USA. View
Bonesville.net's
privacy policy. For advertising or other information, e-mail
editor@bonesville.net.
*You are viewing an
alpha version of Bonesville Mobile. You may view this trial version
of Bonesville Mobile at no charge. After alpha and beta testing are
completed, a subscription version of Bonesville Mobile will be
available at a nominal price. The business model of Bonesville Mobile
contemplates the incorporation of minimal
and non-obtrusive advertising. |