CONWAY, SC — East Carolina jumped on Florida early and didn’t let up in an 11-6 win over the Gators on Friday in the regional opener at Springs Brooks Stadium.

The Pirates (34-25) struck for two runs in the top of the first and never trailed. Braden Burress led off the game with a bunt single, stole second and went to third on Jack Herring’s fly to center. Dixon Williams was hit by a pitch.

John Collins hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Burress to score. After a single by Ryley Johnson, Williams came home on a sacrifice fly by Colby Wallace.

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Norby threw the first of his career-high 116 pitches with a 2-0 lead and gave the No. 17 Gators (38-21) no hope of gaining the upper hand. Norby didn’t yield a hit until a solo homer by Brendan Lawson in the fourth. Before that, ECU had established a 9-0 lead.

Norby (8-5) scattered six hits while allowing three runs (all earned) with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

“Getting two in the first inning always helps,” said Pirates coach Cliff Godwin after ECU’s fifth straight win that included a run to the American Athletic Conference tournament title as the No. 6 seed for a seventh straight NCAA tournament berth. “They just kept putting up crooked numbers.

“Ethan Norby was spectacular. I know Connor (Norby, ECU, Miami Marlins third baseman) thinks he’s the most famous brother, but Ethan Norby was special today.

“I told him it was big-time stuff. Big game pitcher. He’s been like that his whole career. He was special.”

The Pirates were not in awe of the Southeastern Conference foe which had a 4-0 all-time record against ECU.

‘ This is house money for us,” Godwin said. “Nobody expected us to be here a week ago. We were dead in the water. The guys have really come together. God has pulled them together. They’ve played great baseball.

“I knew we wouldn’t be scared. No offense, we could have played the Yankees today and we wouldn’t have been scared. This is house money. I’m just proud of the way the guys have played free and loose.”

The offensive barrage for the Pirates included two runs in the second, two in the third, three in the fourth, a solo homer by Austin Irby in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh by Irby.

Williams had a sacrifice fly, and Collins had a run-scoring single in the second .

Herring had a 2-run single to right with the runners moving on a full-count pitch with two down in the third.

In the fourth, the lead grew to 9-0 on an RBI double by Irby and a 2-ruu single by Alex Peltier.

Florida flexed its muscle in the fourth as Blake Cyr followed Lawson’s solo shot with one of his own.

Norby was charged with a run after Jake Hunter came in for him in the eighth.

Hunter yielded a 3-run homer in the ninth before getting the final out on a grounder to Burress at second.

ECU had a 15-9 lead in hits and played errorless defense while the Gators had a pair of miscues in the field.

Irby went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBIs. His only out was on a check swing whiff called by the third base umpire in the first inning. Herring had two hits and two RBIs.

Burress and Johnson each had two hits and scored twice.

The Pirates had a supportive segment of a crowd of 4,517.

“It felt like a home game out there with how many Pirate fans were out there,” Norby said. “That was pretty fun to play in front of. I’d say it was pretty similar to last year (regional in Greenville). Just trying to not do too much, just be me out there. That was the most important thing.”

ECU takes its house money into a winner’s bracket matchup on Saturday.

The Pirates meet the winner of Friday’s second game between host Coastal Carolina, the No, 1 seed, and fourth-seeded Fairfield on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the double-elimination event.

Coastal’s contest with the Stags was delayed Friday night due to weather.