GREENVILLE — East Carolina beat South Florida, 12-4, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, but the Pirates couldn’t beat a rain system to complete the second game.

Play is scheduled to resume on Sunday at noon with ECU holding a 6-2 lead going to the bottom of the third inning.

The first game triumph Saturday gave the Pirates the series win as ECU improved to 27-16-1 overall and 11-6 in the American Conference.

ECU took control in the first game of the doubleheader by scoring eight runs with two out in the third.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the first game as Jack Herring doubled to shallow left with two out and scored as Colby Wallace singled to center.

An infield single with two out and the bases loaded in the third by Matt Rose of USF tied the score at 1.

Walker Barron hit a 2-run homer to right after Jeff Sabater was hit by a pitch to give ECU a 3-1 lead in the third. The Pirates extended the lead to 6-1 three batters later as Nick Parham’s 3-run homer brought in Austin Irby and Brayden Bachman.

Jack Herring had a 2-run triple, and Colby Wallace had a run-scoring single through the left side for a 9-1 advantage.

A bases-loaded walk to Wallace pushed the Pirates’ lead to 10-2 in the fifth.

Wallace had an RBI single and Barron brought in a run on a ground out for a 12-4 lead in the seventh.

Starter Ethan Norby (5-1) had ample support as he allowed eight hits and three runs (all earned) over five and two-thirds innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

Gavin Marley provided a brief bridge with two-thirds of an inning before Joe Webb closed. Webb pitched the last two and two-thirds innings. He yielded one hit and no runs with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Wallace had three hits and three RBIs. Herring had three hits and two RBIs. Parham had two hits and three RBIs.

The Pirates rallied from an early 2-0 deficit in the second inning of the second game with a 6-run barrage.

Matt Lashley had an RBI double, and Michael Kalinich had a run-scoring single to tie the score at 2.

The Pirates went ahead, 4-2, on a 2-run homer to right by Austin Irby that traveled 457 feet. ECU closed the 6-run second inning with a 2-run homer by Herring after a double by Braden Burress.