GREENVILLE — East Carolina won a doubleheader Saturday to sweep a 3-game series with Liberty. The No. 12 Pirates followed up on a 10-2 victory in the first game with a 13-1 triumph in the nightcap.
The series schedule was revised due to the forecast of unsuitable weather for a third game on Sunday.
ECU (12-3) has won six straight.
“I thought we played like ourselves from Wednesday on,” said Pirates coach Cliff Godwin. “I thought our hitters grinded on them and I thought our pitching was really good. I thought we played great defense. To go 5-0 in a week is hard to do in college baseball.
“Our guys did a really good job.”
Alec Makarewicz homered twice in the first game and Joey Berini added a round tripper.
The Pirates never trailed after RBI doubles by Josh Moylan and Justin Wilcoxen in the first inning.
Makarewicz homered to left center for a 3-1 lead in a 3-run second inning for the hosts.
Ryley Johnson and Luke Nowak walked in the second before Jacob Starling was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart hit a high chop to short for a run-scoring infield single and a 4-1 lead. Moylan hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Nowak to come home.
ECU added three more runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Carter Cunningham and a 2-run blast to The Jungle by Makarewicz.
Berini homered to right in the sixth and the Pirates scored again in the eighth with the help of a wild pitch and a throwing error by the catcher.
Starter Carter Spivey (1-1) went six innings for the win. He allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) while walking one and striking out four. Erik Ritchie pitched the seventh and eighth for ECU before Jaden Winter came to the mound in the ninth.
ECU scored four runs in the first inning of the second game and was not threatened as Liberty pitchers issued 15 walks. The Flames (7-8) also committed three errors in the last game of the series.
Nowak, the leadoff hitter, drew five bases on balls and scored three runs without being credited with an at-bat.
Four walks and two errors contributed to a 7-run sixth inning for ECU.
Moylan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the closing contest.
Josh Grosz (2-0) went six innings and threw 100 pitches. He yielded one earned run while walking four and striking out 11.
Garrett Saylor, Merritt Beeker and Tyler Bradt each pitched an inning of scoreless relief.
Next up for the Pirates is a trip to UNC-Wilmington (9-7) on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. start.
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