GREENVILLE — A 3-run homer by Justin Wilcoxen capped the scoring in a 6-run first inning for No. 14 East Carolina and led to a 10-4 American Athletic Conference win over Memphis at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Friday night.
The Pirates improved to 36-14 overall and 13-6 in league play going into the second game of the series with the Tigers (26-23, 8-11) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
ECU remained a half-game behind first place Houston in the AAC standings as the Cougars (29-20, 13-5) took a 9-3 win at Tulane on Friday night.
Memphis had a 5-game winning streak stopped as the Pirates won their fifth straight.
Lane Hoover started the bottom of the first with a single and stole second. Jacob Starling singled and stole second to put runners at second and third.
Hoover scored on a single through the left side by Jacob Jenkins-Cowart. Two runs came in on a single to center by Luke Nowak and Wilcoxen homered to right.
Alec Makarewicz had a 3-run homer for the Pirates in the sixth.
A 2-run double by Joey Berini in the seventh provided a 10-1 lead for ECU.
The Pirates led, 13-5, in hits. Carter Cunningham was 3-for-4. Hoover and Berini each had a pair of hits.
Danny Beal (4-1) got the win with two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief as ECU used six pitchers.
Memphis’ Austin Baskin hit a 2-run homer in the eighth.
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