COLLEGE BASEBALL

2012 Game No. 36     \Jump to Box Score/

Pirates wallop Memphis to take series

From staff and electronic reports

View the Mobile Alpha version of this report.

East Carolina belted six extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, in a 14-7 rout of Conference USA foe Memphis Sunday afternoon at FedExPark.

The Pirates (25-10-1, 8-3-1 C-USA) banged out 17 hits overall and put the game away with multi-run outbursts in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. ECU's 11 runs during the three frames transformed a 2-1 deficit into an 11-2 advantage.

Junior first baseman John Wooten and senior catcher Zach Wright smacked round-trippers for the Pirates and generally abused the Tigers' pitching staff from start to finish. Wooten finished 4-for-5 with five runs batted in, while Wright was 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Each of them also lashed out a double and scored a pair of runs.

East Carolina senior third baseman Corey Thompson had a stellar day at the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI and scoring two runs.

Memphis senior first baseman T.J. Rich hit a two-run homer in the second that gave his team a 2-1 lead that held up until the Pirates' offensive assault in the middle innings.

Starter Jharel Cotton (6-0) lasted six innings for the Pirates and got credit for the victory. The junior righthander fanned six and surrendered five runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman.

Sophomore righthander Tanner Merritt picked up his seventh save after giving up a pair of runs, one earned, on four hits, no walks and one hit batsman over the final three innings.

Starter Chase Joiner (2-4) took the loss for the Tigers (16-20, 6-6) after yielding six runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. The senior righthander was chased after serving up back-to-back doubles to Thompson and Wooten and a homer to Wright in the fifth.

East Carolina piled up eight more runs on nine hits and five walks against a parade of five Memphis relief pitchers.

With the win, the Pirates claimed the edge in the weekend series. ECU beat the Tigers 5-2 Friday night and lost by an identical score Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates host UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday (6 p.m.) and William & Mary on Wednesday (6 p.m.) before hitting the road for a crucial league series against Rice next weekend.

BOX SCORE #36

East Carolina 14, Memphis 7

 • ECU SID GAME STORY
 • UM SID GAME STORY

E - Bass 2(3).
DP - ECU 2.
LOB - ECU 11; UM 4.
2B - C. Thompson(8); Wooten(3); Cannon(6); Wright(8); J. Wilson(10).
HR - Wooten(7); Wright(3); Rich(2).
HBP - Hynes; Aldridge.
SH - Reynolds(6).
SF - Wooten(2); Clark(2).
SB - Reinheimer(5); Clark(5).
CS - Thomas(4).

Win - Cotton (6-0).
Loss - Joiner (2-4).
Save - Merritt (7).
WP - Cotton(3).
HBP - by Cotton (Hynes); by Merritt (Aldridge).
PB - Aldridge(7).
Umpires - HP: Darin Stiers; 1B: Mike Morris; 3B: Scott Johnston.
Start: 1:00 pm; Time: 3:02.
Attendance: 627.
Notes: Bailey faced 4 batters in 6th;
       Wills faced 2 batters in 6th;
       Moody faced 2 batters in 6th.