CHARLOTTE — Struggles continued for East Carolina with a 6-0 loss to Charlotte at Truist Stadium on Friday night in the opener of a 3-game American Athletic Conference series.
The Pirates (20-15, 6-4 AAC) seek to avoid a fifth straight loss in game two with the 49ers (20-13, 7-3 AAC) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The hosts grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with some assistance from ECU.
Pirates ace Ethan Norby (4-4) issued a walk to the leadoff batter and hit the next batter with a pitch. The runners moved up on a passed ball with one out and Cody Gunderson’s RBI single through the right side gave Charlotte a 1-0 lead. A fielder’s choice allowed an unearned run.
Logan Poteet had a 2-run homer in the fourth.
Two Charlotte runs in the sixth were the result of a solo homer by Dawson Bryce and a wild pitch that allowed Poteet to come home.
Blake Gillespie (5-3) pitched eight innings for the win, He allowed five hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts.
Joseph Taylor retired the Pirates in order in the ninth.
You have a dude who has already been through your order so you’ve seen him, he’s throwing lots of strikes, and yet you keep looking at first pitch strikes. …nothing like not even giving yourself a chance while making the dude’s job easier by getting ahead in the count and conserving his bullets!
…sorry, but ECU is not even competing at the plate.