COLLEGE BASEBALL

2012 Game No. 23     \Jump to Box Score/

Pirates shell UCF in series finale

From staff and electronic reports

View the Mobile Alpha version of this report.

East Carolina turned its bats loose on Central Florida early and led from start to finish in dealing a 15-6 thrashing to the Golden Knights in a Conference USA game Sunday afternoon at Jay Bergman Field.

Sophomore shortstop Jack Reinheimer was 5-for-6 to spearhead an ECU barrage of 19 hits. Senior second baseman Tim Younger, junior outfielder/first baseman John Wooten and junior outfielder Jay Cannon added three hits apiece to the offensive onslaught. Senior catcher Corey Thompson's two hits included a two-run homer.

The Pirates (16-7, 1-2 C-USA) scored two runs in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth before UCF (19-6, 2-1) got on the scoreboard with single runs in the fourth and fifth.

East Carolina added a run in the sixth and exploded for five runs in the seventh for a comfortable 11-2 lead. Both teams put four runs on the board in an anticlimactic ninth inning.

Junior righthander Jharel Cotton (5-0) cruised seven innings for the Pirates and picked up the win. Cotton struck out 11, scattered 10 hits and surrendered one walk and a pair of runs.

Freshman righthander Jeff Hoffman came on in relief and pitched a scoreless, hitless eighth. The Pirates led 15-4 when sophomore lefthander Drew Reynolds took the mound in the ninth and was roughed up for four hits and four runs before retiring the side.

Lanky southpaw Eric Skoglund (3-1) started for the Knights and absorbed his first loss. The 6-foot-7 freshman was chased after giving up four hits, a pair of walks and four runs over 2 1/3 innings.

East Carolina avoided a weekend sweep with the victory. No. 19 Central Florida nipped the 25th-ranked Pirates 2-1 in a Friday evening pitchers' duel and pounded three homers in a 10-6 win on Saturday.

East Carolina will hit the road again on Wednesday, this time for a short bus trip to Raleigh for a 6 p.m. matchup with N.C. State. The Pirates edged the Wolpack 6-5 last Tuesday in Greenville.

BOX SCORE #23

East Carolina Pirates 15, Central Florida Golden Knights 6

 • ECU SID GAME STORY
 • UCF SID GAME STORY

E - Reinheimer(11); Sweeney 2(9); Breen(3); Williams(2).
DP - ECU 1.
LOB - ECU 11; UCF 9.
2B - Reinheimer(3); Younger(3); Richardson(7); Hicks(3).
HR - Thompson(4); Friedrich(3).
HBP - Richardson; Shreve.
SH - Reynolds(3); Fultz(1).
SF - Thompson(2); Friedrich(4).
SB - Reinheimer 2(4); Cannon(1); Shreve(6).
CS - Sweeney(5).

Win - Cotton (5-0).
Loss - Skoglund (3-1).
Save - None.
WP - Reynolds(2).
HBP - by Cotton (Shreve); by Reynolds (Richardson).
BK - Reynolds(1); Skoglund(2).
Umpires - HP: Clarence Coleman; 1B: Jim Garman; 3B: David Wiley.
Start: 1:06 pm; Time: 3:22.
Attendance: 1,338
Weather: 79, sunny, WSW at 8mph