GREENVILLE — East Carolina came back from a 5-0 deficit after five innings to score three times in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-5 American Athletic Conference win over Cincinnati at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Sunday.
Connor Litton hit a two-run single to right to give the Pirates the series, 2-1, on ECU’s Senior Day.
Turner Brown led off the Pirates’ half of the ninth with a home run to right to cut the Bearcats’ lead to 5-4.
Bryant Packard followed Brown with a single to right. A pair of wild pitches put Packard at third before walks to Bryson Worrell and Spencer Brickhouse loaded the bases.
Litton was down 0-2 on a pair of swinging strikes before hitting a liner to right to bring in Packard and Worrell.
Cole Murphy’s two-run homer in the fifth extended Cincinnati’s lead to 5-0.
Jake Kuchmaner (3-0) pitched the last two innings without allowing a hit with one walk and two strikeouts.
Jake Agnos started and yielded three earned runs in one and two-thirds innings. Trey Benton had four strikeouts in two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings.
Zach Barnes surrendered the homer by Murphy before Davis Kirkpatrick and Ryan Ross contributed scoreless relief efforts.
Jake Washer went 3-for-4 for No. 10 ECU, getting the comeback started with a solo homer to right in the sixth.
Andrew Henrickson had a two-run single in the eighth that scored Brickhouse and Worrell to trim the Bearcats’ lead to 5-3.
ECU improved to 37-13 overall and 13-8 in the AAC. Cincinnati (26-24, 11-10) managed a 10-9 lead in hits.
The Pirates play their final home game of the regular season against Campbell on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
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