Pirates regroup for win, await fate

From electronic and staff reports
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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 09:33 AM.

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