East Carolina clips Owls
in marathon
From electronic and staff reports
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Designated-hitter-turned relief pitcher Drew
Reynolds bottled up Rice bottled for five scoreless innings until junior
third baseman Zach Houchins stroked a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of
the 13th to lift East Carolina to a 3-2 Conference USA victory over the Owls
Saturday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Timely hitting allowed the
Pirates to rally from an early deficit to force extra innings and clutch
pitching kept Rice at bay as the three-hour and 37-minute marathon
unfolded for four extra frames.
The Owls led 2-0 after nicking redshirt
freshman righthander David Lucroy for single runs in the second and sixth,
but that was the end of the scoring for Rice.
Junior shortstop Jack Reinheimer led off the
bottom of the sixth with a home run to pull ECU within one and Reynolds came
in to score one inning later on freshman catcher Travis Watkins' RBI single.
Reynolds, who had not yet assumed the mound duties, had reached on a double.
Lucroy, who surrendered four hits over seven
innings, was relieved by senior righthander Andy Smithmyer to start the
eighth.
After retiring the side in order in the
eighth, Smithmyer gave way in the ninth to Reynolds after serving up a
leadoff single to Rice senior outfielder Michael Ratterree.
A junior righthander, Reynolds struck out four
and allowed only one hit, two walks and a hit batsman the rest of the way.
Reinheimer got on in the 13th with a one-out
single and stole second after senior outfielder Jay Cannon lofted a fly to
right for the second out.
That's when Houchins' single brought
Reinheimer home to seal the outcome and even the series at one game apiece.
Rice scored three unearned runs in the ninth inning
to prevail in Friday's opener 3-0.
East Carolina out-hit the Owls 12-6. Rice left
13 runners on base, while the Pirates stranded 8.
ECU (15-16, 1-4 C-USA) will try to win the series
when it hosts the Owls (22-11, 5-3) Sunday at 10 a.m.
PAGE UPDATED
04/07/13 03:43 AM.
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