GREENVILLE — East Carolina took two wins Saturday to sweep its American Athletic Conference series with Connecticut at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The No. 12 Pirates prevailed 5-2 in seven innings in the first game Saturday and won 9-7 in nine innings in the second game.
ECU improved to 29-10 overall and 11-1 in the AAC.
Trey Benton (4-0) got the win in relief of Jake Kuchmaner in the first game. Tyler Smith (5-0) started and worked into the sixth inning in the second game to get the decision.
The Pirates scored three times in the third inning of the opener after the No. 18 Huskies (24-16, 7-8) had tallied twice in the top of the frame. Bases-loaded walks to Turner Brown and Lane Hoover tied the score at 2 before a sacrifice fly by Jake Washer put ECU ahead to stay.
The Pirates added two runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Nick Barber and Bryant Packard.
Alec Burleson was 3-for-4 in the first game. Evan Voliva came in for Sam Lanier to pick up his third save.
UConn also took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third in the second game and ECU answered again with three runs in the bottom of the inning as Spencer Brickhouse launched a homer to right with Hoover and Packard aboard.
Washer had a solo homer in the fourth and Brickhouse belted his 11th homer in the fifth, a 2-run shot to right.
Chandler Jenkins hit a solo homer to right to complete the scoring in ECU’s 3-run eighth.
Brickhouse was 3-for-5 in the second game with five RBIs. Washer went 2-for-3 as the Pirates had an 11-9 lead in hits.
Burleson, Gage Williams, Ryder Giles and Zach Barnes followed Smith to the mound in the second game.
Kyler Fedko (solo) and Michael Woodworth hit home runs in a 3-run ninth for the Huskies.
ECU hosts UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
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