GREENVILLE — Normally, a win by the home team makes for a good night for Pirate Nation at Clark-LeClair Stadium. That was not the case Sunday night.
East Carolina’s school record 20-game winning streak came to an end with a 9-1 loss to Coastal Carolina, which was designated as the home club, according to NCAA Tournament regulations.
The Chanticleers, the third seed in the Greenville regional, didn’t slow down after rallying for a 7-6 win over second-seeded Virginia in an elimination game earlier in the day.
Coastal had a power surge in the bottom of the first that included a 2-run homer by Tyler Johnson and a solo shot by Chris Rowan Jr. off of ECU starter Jake Kuchmaner (4-3).
That was plenty of support for right-hander Nick Parker, who went eight innings without allowing a run. Parker yielded three hits and two walks while striking out 10.
Bryson Worrell prevented a shutout with a home run to the right field corner in the ninth off reliever Reece Maniscalco.
The Chanticleers extended their lead to 6-0 with a 3-run homer by Nick Lucky in the third.
Matt McDermott homered for Coastal in the sixth.
Pirate coach Cliff Godwin got ejected in the sixth inning by plate umpire Brandon Cooper.
“I apologize to Brandon,” Godwin said after the game. “I was just trying to get the fans fired up.”
There were 5,588 on hand.
The Pirates will take on Coastal on Monday at 1 p.m. for the regional championship and a berth in the Super Regional.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to whoever plays the best,” said Coastal coach Gary Gilmore.
“We’ll be the home team,” Godwin said.
Leave a Reply