Panthers end ECU's season

By Al Myatt
©2015 Bonesville.net
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CORAL GABLES, FL — Florida International scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning and handed East Carolina a 2-0 loss on Saturday in an elimination game in the NCAA regional hosted by Miami.

The Pirates finished 40-22, winning the American Athletic Conference tournament six days beforehand.

“Just really proud of our guys," said ECU coach Cliff Godwin at the conclusion of the 2015 campaign. "When we started this season, not one person outside of our locker room thought we could win 40 games and win the American Conference Tournament championship. The only ones who believed it were the ones in our locker room and these guys overachieved every single day."

Christopher Mourelle and Danny Dopico (3-4) combined for the shutout. Mourelle went seven and one-third innings for fourth-seeded FIU (30-30), which swept three games from the Pirates in Greenville in Conference USA play May 2-4 in 2014.

“I think we were out of gas," Godwin said. " ... Look, these guys put it all on the line for me every single day and they got nothing to hang their head down about.”

Senior left-hander Reid Love (7-4) started and went seven and one-third innings for the Pirates. He allowed six hits and two earned runs while walking two and striking out five.

Pirates freshman Joe Ingle yielded two hits over the last two-thirds of an inning without a walk or a strikeout.

Edwin Rios of FIU singled to right with one out in the eighth. Brian Portelli followed with a single to center field that moved Rios to third and ended the day for Love.

A single to left by Josh Anderson scored the first run of the game. With two down, Austin Rodriguez had a run-scoring single.

Garrett Brooks went 3-for-3 in the setback. Luke Lowery went 2-for-4 for ECU with a double in the ninth.

Senior Hunter Allen and Bryce Harman also had hits for the second-seeded Pirates, who were topped 6-3 by third-seeded Columbia in the opening game of the regional on Friday.

PAGE UPDATED 05/31/15 04:17 PM.

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