GREENVILLE — Rice dealt East Carolina its fourth straight American Conference defeat on Saturday as the Owls topped the host Pirates, 5-3.
All of the scoring in the game was generated by four home runs — two by each club.
“We didn’t do enough to win,” said ECU coach Cliff Godwin on the Pirate radio network. “Their pitching has been really good this weekend.”
Rice took a 5-2 lead in the seventh on a 3-run homer to left by Cole Green with two out. That marked the end of the day for junior left-hander Ethan Norby in possibly his last action at Clark-LeClair Stadium, depending on the MLB draft.
Norby went six and two-thirds innings. He allowed five hits and five runs (all earned) with one walk, two hit batters and 10 strikeouts. Norby threw 110 pitches.
“We extended Norby and their guy (Green) got a good swing off,” Godwin said.
Injuries are limiting the depth of the ECU pitching staff. Godwin indicated some lineup changes were likely as the Pirates seek to avoid a sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).
ECU closed the deficit to 5-3 with a home run to deep left by Walker Barron in the bottom of the seventh.
The Pirates had two on with one out in the eighth after singles by Jack Herring and Grady Lanahan, but Owls closer Ty Thames induced two fly outs to escape the threat.
Starter Ethan Sanders (5-5) got the win for Rice, lasting seven innings. Thames recorded his sixth save.
Norby (5-3) absorbed the loss.
A pair of 2-run homers with two out had the score tied at 2 after four innings.
J.C. Davis cleared the right field fence for the Owls with a blast in the top of the second after Zachary Daigre had singled with two away.
Herring led off the bottom of the fourth with an opposite way single into left and Michael Kalinich homered into The Jungle beyond left field to tie the score.
The Pirates held a 7-5 lead in hits. Herring went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .377.
ECU slipped to 29-21-1 overall and 13-10 in league play. The Owls improved to 31-20, 13-10.
Bottom of the ninth, down 5-3, and two batters don’t take the bat off their shoulders. Sadly, that is an appropriate summation of the Pirates offense for 2026. How can you allow the plate umpire to determine your fate.
Yes, Norby made a couple of waist-high mistakes. He knows his fastball doesn’t have the horsepower to make a living “up in the zone.” And, anyone who’s ever toed the rubber knows what can happen to a hanging curve. Certainly, nobody questions his competitiveness. His ‘hbp’ count has been his biggest problem, and it came back to bite him on Saturday.
Still, with decent offensive support, the Pirates could have picked up the ‘W’. With all of the highs and lows experienced by the Pirates this year, a win on Sunday will keep the Pirates in second place going into the last conference series. We will find out just how much guts these Pirates have. It won’t be easy, as the pitching will be a question mark for all nine innings. If ECU doesn’t come to the plate on every at-bat with the mindset of getting a hit first, and a walk second, not much is going to change. That doesn’t mean guess what’s coming. Focus on every pitch, and don’t let the umpire decide the outcome!