GREENVILLE — Bryant completed a 3-game sweep at East Carolina on Sunday as Matt Smith scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth for a 4-3 win.
“The sun will come up tomorrow and we’ll get better,” said Pirates coach Cliff Godwin, whose club started the season ranked as high as No. 8.
The ECU skipper said his club may have been overconfident going into a 10-2 season-opening loss on Friday.
The Pirates had an apparent walk-off homer by Justin Wilcoxen in the bottom of the ninth wiped off Saturday by an umpire’s ruling that time had been called. The Bulldogs went on to prevail, 5-4, in 10 innings.
“We were in dogfight in games two and three and things didn’t go our way,” Godwin said.
A bases-loaded walk to ECU first baseman Josh Moylan tied the score at 1 in the bottom of the third on Sunday.
Bryson Worrell had an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk to Carter Cunningham in the seventh allowed the Pirates to pull even at 3.
Pinch hitter Alex Lane doubled for the Bulldogs in the ninth off Nick Logusch (0-1) and Smith entered as a pinch runner. Skylar Brooks recorded a strikeout before Smith moved to third on a ground out.
Left-hander Merritt Beeker was charged with a wild pitch that allowed Smith to come home.
Freshman right-hander Jake Hunter started for ECU and went four innings. He allowed three hits and one earned run with two walks and two strikeouts. The Pirates used eight pitchers.
Liam Levangie (1-0) got the win. Logan Allen had two hits, a run and an RBI to lead the visitors offensively.
Lane Hoover, batting in the ninth spot, was 3-for-3 with two runs for ECU.
The Pirates return to action Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Campbell (1-2).
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