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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
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By Brian Bailey |
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Yogi was right
©2005 Bonesville.net
Yogi Berra
said it best. It was like déjà vu all over again.
That had to
be the feeling for East Carolina on Tuesday night.
Andrew
Brackman, the N.C. State hoopster who may find greater success on the
diamond then on the hardwoods, beat East Carolina for the second time this
season.
Brackman
pitched 5 innings, giving up only two hits and no runs. He struck out three.
He’s 2-0 vs. ECU this year.
“He’s got
four quality pitches,” said ECU head coach Randy Mazey. “I’m not down on our
offense at all. Today we faced a guy who is going to beat most teams that he
plays against.”
The Pirates
have now dropped three in a row to North Carolina State. The Wolfpack takes
the season series 3-1.
Mazey was
very concerned about his pitching going into the match up. In fact, he was
threatening to pitch yours truly, but this veteran sportscaster lost his
eligibility some two decades ago.
Chris
Powell did his part to help out the pitching situation last night. Powell
went 7 strong innings, scattering 8 hits and giving up three runs.
Powell’s
performance may have moved the Pirates a little closer to the postseason.
“The fact
that Powell went as long as he did, and pitched as well as he did will
really help us this weekend,” Mazey said. “We need to win all three at UAB,
and our staff will be pretty fresh for the series.”
Even at
28-20, the Pirates are still very much in the hunt for an at-large bid to
the NCAA tournament. The consensus is that the Pirates need to get to 34-36
wins.
East
Carolina has an added game with UNC Ashville, along with three-game sets
with UAB and Saint Louis. The Pirates also play at North Carolina next week.
If the
Pirates can win out, that would put them at 36 wins going into the C-USA
tournament. A more realistic plan would be to win at least five of the
remaining eight games, getting the team to 33 wins.
Either way,
I think the Pirates will have to pick up a couple of wins in the C-USA
tournament. Obviously, the further the Pirates advance, the better their
chances will be at the post season.
“We are
still in the hunt,” said Mazey. “We just have to keep on fighting. I like
this team and I think we’ll battle until the end.”
The Pirates
have won five straight C-USA series. They hope to add to that list when they
visit UAB this weekend.
Don’t
forget, the final weekend of the season will include the dedication game for
Clark-LeClair stadium. Like the opener back in March, that special occasion
should mark a most emotional day at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
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02/23/2007 01:31:50 AM |
