GREENVILLE — An 18-1 triumph in seven innings over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium gave East Carolina the win in its first American Conference series.

The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before the Pirates (15-8-1) put the rout in motion with six runs in the bottom of the first.

ECU seeks a sweep of the series on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (ESPN+).

An RBI single by Landon Beaver gave UAB (13-10) its initial lead Saturday. The Pirates answered quickly on Austin Irby’s RBI single and an error on the play which allowed the go-ahead run.

Davin Whitaker had an RBI double for a 3-1 lead in the first. Carlos Jacome, Walker Barron and Braden Burress had run-scoring singles.

Whitaker had another RBI double in the second and a run scored on a fielder’s choice by Grady Lanahan for an 8-1 lead.

ECU starter Gavin Van Kempen left the game with two out in the top of the third with an injury. Ethan Rose (1-1) inherited two baserunners but got out of the inning on a fielder’s choice.

Van Kempen allowed one hit and one run (earned) with four walks and two strikeouts.

Rose worked one and one-third innings. He yielded two hits with two walks and a whiff. Charlie Hoagland was summoned with the bases loaded and none out in the fifth. He worked out of the jam with a fly to shallow right, an infield fly and a strikeout.

Hoagland went the last three innings without allowing a hit. He walked one and struck out one.

Austin Irby had a sacrifice fly in the third. Burress had a sacrifice fly and Jack Herring had a 2-run homer in a 3-run fifth.

The Pirates got 3-run homers from Lanahan and Irby in the sixth.

Irby had five RBIs for the day and Lanahan had four as ECU had a 15-3 lead in hits.

UAB had three errors while the Pirates committed one. The Blazers left 11 on base compared to four for ECU.

UAB starter Christian Helmers (0-1) recorded the loss.