Sweep complete, no help from Houston

Staff report
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ORLANDO — East Carolina didn't get its desired help from Houston on Saturday night, finishing second to Tulane in the American Athletic Conference regular season standings.

The Green Wave topped the host Cougars 4-3 in a rain-delayed contest to improve to 37-17 overall and 15-7 in the AAC, clinching the regular season title.

A Houston win would have given the Pirates the regular season crown.

Earlier Saturday, ECU closer Joe Ingle yielded six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before his bases-loaded strikeout preserved an 8-7 Pirates win at Central Florida.

The win completed a three-game ECU sweep of the Knights and put the Pirates at 34-19-1 for the season and 15-8-1 in the conference going into the league tournament, which starts Tuesday at Bright House Field in Clearwater.

The second-seeded Pirates will open play at 11 a.m. Wednesday against seventh-seeded South Florida, which took two of three in Greenville May 13-15.

On Saturday, ECU had built an 8-1 lead in the series finale with the Knights before the dramatic comeback by UCF (25-31, 8-16 AAC).

The Pirates took a 3-0 lead in the second inning and maintained the upper hand.

Eric Tyler and Bryce Harman had hits before Garrett Brooks got aboard on a throwing error on a bunt to load the bases.

Tyler came home on wild pitch by Cre Finfrock (4-6) for a 1-0 ECU lead. Another wild pitch brought Harman home to put the Pirates ahead 2-0.

Parker Lamm had an RBI single off reliever Chris Williams for a 3-0 ECU advantage.

The Pirates scored twice in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. Dwanya Williams-Sutton hit his fifth home run of the season and Travis Watkins had an RBI single to score Turner Brown, who was hit by a pitch and scored from second after advancing on a failed pickoff attempt.

A double by Tyler and an RBI single by Harman gave ECU a 6-0 lead in the seventh.

The Knights scored in the bottom of the seventh as Matt Diorio doubled and came home on Sam Tolleson's single.

The margin increased to 8-1 in the eighth. Williams-Sutton, who was 4-for-4, singled up the middle and was brought in by a double by Brown. Watkins singled to drive in Brown.

Sam Lanier (1-0) was credited with his first win as he pitched one and two-thirds innings in relief of starter Jacob Wolfe, who went three and one-third.

Chris Holba pitched two innings and Matt Bridges held the Knights in the eighth before Ingle came on.

Eli Putnam hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth to set the tone for the comeback.

Ingle threw 55 pitches in his lone frame. He allowed six hits and six runs, all earned. He walked three and struck out two. UCF scored five runs with two out.

The Pirates outhit the Knights 15-14 as Tyler went 3-for-5. Watkins and Harman had two hits each.

PAGE UPDATED 05/22/16 03:49 PM.

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