GREENVILLE — East Carolina opened the 20th annual Keith LeClair Classic with a 17-4 win over Indiana as Jacob Starling led the Pirates offensively with 3-run homer in the fourth and a 3-run double in the fifth.
ECU (6-2), ranked No. 9 nationally by D1Baseball, never trailed after a sacrifice fly by Justin Wilcoxen in the bottom of the first provided a 1-0 lead.
In ECU’s 2-run second, Lane Hoover came home on a wild pitch and Luke Nowak had a run-scoring infield single.
The Pirates led 6-1 after Starling’s blast to left in the fourth.
Wilcoxen had a 2-run homer in ECU’s 5-run fifth.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart had a 3-run homer in a 5-run eighth inning for the Pirates.
Trey Yesavage (1-0) started and went six innings for the win. He struck out 11 while allowing four hits, one run (earned) and three walks.
ECU plays Long Beach State (5-3), an 18-3 winner over Georgetown on Friday, in the second game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+). Indiana (4-5) takes on the Hoyas (6-3) on Saturday at noon.
Leave a Reply