GREENVILLE — East Carolina won both ends of a doubleheader with Alabama-Birmingham on Friday, taking the American Athletic Conference series by scores of 6-2 and 4-3.
The No. 15 Pirates (19-6, 3-2 AAC) go for a sweep of the Blazers (12-14, 1-4) on Saturday at noon.
ECU went ahead to stay in the first game on an RBI single by Jacob Jenkins-Cowart that brought in Ryley Johnson in the bottom of the first.
The Pirates added three runs in the sixth as Jacob Starling scored on an error and two runs came in on a sacrifice bunt by Joey Berini.
Starling had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Dixon Williams added an RBI single in the eighth.
Williams was 2-for-3 in the first game as ECU had eight hits.
Trey Yesavage went six and one-third innings in improving to 5-1. He allowed five hits and two runs (both earned) while walking two and striking out nine.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman went the last three and two-thirds innings for his second save. He gave up three hits, no walks and struck out two.
Zach Root (4-0) started the second game and went seven innings. He yielded five hits, three runs (two earned) and walked two while striking out nine.
Jake Hunter went the last two innings and allowed one hit in notching his second save.
‘”It’s hard to win college baseball games and it’s hard to win two in one day,” said ECU coach Cliff Godwin on the Pirate radio network. “Trey was good and we needed him to be good because their guy was good. Root probably had the worst command he’s had all year, but I tip my hat to him for the way he just battled.”
ECU scored twice in the fifth inning of the second game to lead, 4-3. Jenkins-Cowart came in on a ground out by Bristol Carter and Starling scored when Justin Wilcoxen got aboard on an error.
The Pirates’ eight hits in the second game were collected by eight different players.
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