GREENVILLE — East Carolina started its 2023 baseball season by sweeping a doubleheader from George Washington at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Saturday.
The Pirates took the first game, 9-5, after trailing 4-0 and were 11-3 winners in the second game despite an early 2-0 deficit.
ECU goes for a series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Colonials scored four runs in the top of the third inning in the first game but Justin Wilcoxen was the catalyst in the Pirates’ comeback. He had a ground out in the bottom of the third that brought in Joey Berini with the first run of the season.
Wilcoxen had a 2-run homer to right field in the fifth before a run-scoring double by Luke Nowak tied the score at 4.
ECU went ahead to stay, 5-4, with an unearned run in the seventh as Alec Makarewicz came home on an infield single by Nowak.
The Pirates erupted for four runs in the eighth as Wilcoxen collected his fourth RBI with a single down the left field line. Jacon Starling added a 3-run homer to left field.
Zach Root got the win with three and two-thirds innings in relief. Root had five of ECU’s 10 strikeouts.
Wilcoxen was 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Starling finished with two hits and three RBIs. Tyler Bradt pitched one and one-third innings with three strikeouts for his first save.
Wilcoxen went 4-for-5 and scored three runs in the second game.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart had a grand slam in an 8-run sixth inning that put the Pirates in control.
Second game starter Trey Yesavage allowed five hits over five innings with one earned run and seven strikeouts, Merritt Beeker got the win as he fanned three in one and one-third innings.
The teams are also scheduled to play on Sunday at 1 p.m. with junior righthander Josh Grosz getting the start for ECU.
Leave a Reply