GREENVILLE — Bryant dealt No. 12 East Carolina a stunning 10-2 defeat in the season opener for both clubs on Friday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Designated hitter Alex Lane gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead on a homer to left off ECU starter Garrett Saylor (0-1) with Derek Smith aboard in the top of the second inning and the visitors led the rest of the way.
Down 7-0 in the seventh, the Pirates got on the board with an RBI single by freshman Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and a sacrifice fly by freshman Ryan McCrystal.
Right-hander Collin Lowe (1-0), a transfer from Richmond, turned in five scoreless innings for the win.
Smith went 3-for-4 for the Bulldogs with three runs and an RBI. Tommy DiTullio also had three hits for Bryant, which is located in Smithfield, RI.
The Bulldogs went 27-14-1 last season, including 21-4 in the Northeast Conference but did not make the NCAA Tournament after losing in the league tournament to Central Connecticut State.
The Pirates are coming off a 44-17 season that culminated with a Super Regional loss at Vanderbilt. ECU was 20-8 in the American Athletic Conference in 2021.
Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who was 6-2 last season with a 3.77 earned run average, was not available Friday due to a violation of team rules.
The Pirates used eight pitchers Friday.
Senior lefty Jake Kuchmaner is the scheduled starter as ECU looks to even the 3-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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