GREENVILLE — Facing the dire circumstances of a 2-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning, East Carolina came through for a 7-6 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Pirates (44-16) got hits from Ryley Johnson and Ryan McCrystal to start the decisive rally.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart had an RBI single up the middle to bring ECU within 6-5.
Dixon Williams drove in the tying run with a single through the left side. Jacob Starling was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
The Deacons (38-22) summoned in Cole Roland to pitch for Michael Massey (4-2) and brought the infield in. Jenkins-Cowart was retired at home on a grounder to second.
Luke Nowak provided the game-winning RBI with a single through the right side.
“Wow,” said ECU coach Cliff Godwin. “Number one, I just want to thank God for being with our guys because our guys showed a lot of resilience, and there’s a lot of faith in that dugout.
“I told them before the game today, I said, ‘Hey, until we make the last out, we’ve got life.’ ”
There was one out when the winning run scored.
The losers bracket matchup had a championship feel beginning as a duel between American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Trey Yesavage, who was seeing his first action since experiencing a partially collapsed right lung, and Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year Chase Burns.
Wake took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Nick Kurtz.
In the fifth, the Pirates tied the score on a run-producing double by McCrystal and went up, 4 -1, on a 3-run homer to right-center by Williams off Burns.
Yesaage went seven and one-third innings. He allowed just one hit and one run (earned) with four walks and six strikeouts.
Burns lasted five innings. He yielded five hits, four runs (all earned) with four walks and seven whiffs.
Deacon left-handers Joe Ariola, Zach Johnston and Haiden Leffew combined for three scoreless innings against a Pirates’ lineup that primarily swings from the left side.
The Pirates used eight pitchers in one and two-thirds innings after Yesavage exited to cheers of appreciation from a crowd of 5,705.
The Deacons scored five runs in the top of the ninth to lead, 6-4, with the help of a hit batter, a walk and an error. Getting hits for Wake in the last frame were Seaver King, Antonio Morales, Javar Williams and Jack Winnay.
Charlie Hodges (1-0) got the last out in the top of ninth on a line out to left by King and was credited with the win.
ECU’s left-handed lineup flourished against Wake’s power right-handers as the Pirates survived, celebrated and advanced.
ECU faces Virginia Commonwealth (38-22) on Sunday at noon in an elimination game. The winner between the Pirates and Rams will need to defeat Evansville (37-21) on Sunday at 6 p.m. and again on Monday to advance to the Super Regional on June 7-10 against the winner of the Knoxville regional.
The Purple Aces outscored VCU, 17-11, in the second game in Greenville on Saturday.
Jerry says
Great job by the Pirates, hanging tough when it seemed they couldn’t get anybody out, and answering the Deacons with a walk-off rally.
Somebody needs to ask Coach Godwin, why pull Yesavage after one out? Did Trey ask to be pulled? Why not give him another batter, and if he handles the situation, let him finish the inning. The Coach’s formula has been successful more often than not, but this seemed like a huge unforced error.