RALEIGH — East Carolina ended a losing streak at N.C. State’s Doak Field that dated back to 2009 as the No. 12 Pirates rolled to a 12-4 triumph on Tuesday night.
Aaron Groller started for ECU (21-6) and delivered three no-hit innings. He left with the Pirates leading, 4-0. Dixon Williams had a 2-run single in the second.
ECU expanded the advantage in the third on a run-scoring sacrifice bunt by Ryan McCrystal and a Wolfpack error that resulted in an unearned run.
“Aaron Groller was awesome for three innings,” said Pirates coach Cliff Godwin on the ECU radio network. “The entire pitching staff did their job. Offensively, just kept adding. It was really special. Glad our guys played well.”
The only batter to reach base against Groller was one of four Pack batters to be hit by a pitch. Groller had three strikeouts.
Danny Beal (3-1) was credited with the win as he followed Groller to the mound and went two and one-third innings with two hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman followed Erik Ritchie and yielded one hit in two innings with one walk and one whiff.
Ritchie walked two and had a pair of unearned runs on his ledger in two-thirds of a frame in the seventh.
Jake Hunter pitched the ninth, surrendering two runs (both earned) on two hits and one walk.
Williams had a 2-out double down the left field line in the sixth. State (18-8) would have been out of the inning on a ground ball, but a fielding error allowed Williams to score for a 5-0 lead. Carter Cunningham followed with a 2-run homer to right.
Jacob Starling scored on a ground out by Bristol Carter in the seventh and Justin Wilcoxen’s solo homer put the Pirates in command, 9-0.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth and Starling brought in two runs with a double down the right field line to complete ECU’s scoring.
The Pirates resume play in the American Athletic Conference at Florida Atlantic with the start of a 3-game series on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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