CLEARWATER, FL — East Carolina was facing a repeat of last year’s opening loss in the American Athletic Conference tournament as the top seed until an eighth-inning eruption Tuesday at BayCare Ballpark.

Trailing Rice, 4-0, the Pirates (41-13) scored 12 runs in the eighth for a 12-4 victory and their fourth straight win over the Owls (22-35), following a sweep in Greenville to end the regular season.

ECU, ranked No. 9 by D1 Baseball, got a break to start the big frame when Joey Berini’s fly to right was lost in the sun and he wound up with a triple.

Ryley Johnson was hit by a pitch and AAC Player of the Year Carter Cunningham delivered an RBI single to right.

Walker Barron’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third before Jacob Starling walked to load the bases.

Rice had an error on a potential double play and ECU pulled within 4-2.

ECU took control with consecutive RBI singles by Dixon Williams, Justin Wilcoxen, Luke Nowak and Berini before Johnson’s 3-run triple to right center provided a 9-4 lead.

Johnson came home on a wild pitch. Starling’s 2-run homer closed the scoring in the decisive mega-inning.

ECU meets Wichita State (30-27) on Thursday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+) in the winners bracket.

Ethan Norby started and went five innings for the Pirates. The freshman lefty allowed five hits, three runs (two earned) with three walks and three strikeouts. Jackson DiLorenzo yielded two hits in two innings with two walks and four whiffs.

Colby Wallace (1-0) got the win with Danny Beal coming to the mound for the ninth.

Rice starter J.D. McCracken held ECU scoreless for six innings.

ECU led, 11-7, in hits with Johnson and Berini getting two each.

The Pirates lost the AAC Tournament opener, 12-11, in 11 innings to South Florida in 2023. ECU came through the losers bracket with four wins before dropping the championship, 8-6, to Tulane.