HOUSTON — East Carolina improved to 6-0 in the American Athletic Conference with an 8-5 win at Rice on Sunday as the Pirates scored in each of the first five innings and added two runs in the seventh.

ECU improved to 18-10 overall going into a game at UNC Wilmington (14-14) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

A steady stream of offense began Sunday as Ryley Johnson got his first RBI of the season with a sacrifice bunt that brought in Dixon Williams in the top of the first inning .

Johnson played for the first time in 2025 on Saturday after dealing with an abdominal ailment. He hit .339 last year with four home runs and 33 runs driven in.

Williams had an RBU single to center in the second for a 2-0 lead.

Braxton Tramel brought in Johnson with a single to left in the third.

The Pirates scored twice in the fourth on an RBI single by Braden Burress and a double by Colby Wallace that brought Burress home.

The Owls (6-23, 1-5 AAC) pulled within 5-3 in the fourth on a 3-run homer by Jacob Devenny.

Austin Irby’s run-scoring double in the fifth brought in Walker Barron for a 6-3 ECU lead.

Landon West singled to left center to score Michael Zito for Rice in the fifth.

Two runs for the Pirates in the seventh came on a sacrifice bunt by Irby that scored Alex Peltier and a single by Jack Herring that plated Barron.

Rice closed the scoring on a solo homer by Tobias Motley in the eighth.

The Owls loaded the bases in the ninth before Wallace picked up his second save on a fly out to right.

Brad Pruett (2-2) pitched four innings for the win. He allowed five hits, two runs (both earned) with no walks and four strikeouts.

Each team had 10 hits. Irby and Barron each went 2-for-4. Irby had a double and two RBIs. Wallace drove in a pair of runs.