TicketsBig ECU Inning Beats Bearcats, 13-7
Pirates finish off sweep of UC
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/18/2004
Drew Saylor hit his third home run of the series on Sunday against East Carolina. |
AMELIA, Ohio---No. 14 East Carolina put eight runs on the board in the fifth inning and that proved to be the difference as the Pirates finished off a three-game sweep of Cincinnati, 13-7 on Sunday afternoon at Midland Field.
The Pirates once again used the long ball to help sink the Bearcats as they hit five in Sunday?s contest to finish the three-game set with 15 home runs. East Carolina?s eight-run inning represented the fifth inning this weekend the Pirates scored at least four runs. ECU improves to 31-6 this season, with a 12-3 Conference USA mark, while the Bearcats are now 7-28 and 2-13.
Cincinnati also utilized the homer as both Drew Saylor and Aaron Moll went long for the Bearcats. Saylor?s blast was his third of the series, while Moll picked up number two. Saylor was the Bearcats? offensive star of the day as he went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Steve Pickerell added three hits for UC.
East Carolina struck first getting an RBI fielder?s choice by Ryan Norwood in the first inning. The Pirates? lead didn?t last very long, however, as UC rallied for three runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Saylor got the Bearcats started with an RBI double to right, with the final two runs coming on an error and a double play.
The fifth inning proved to be the Bearcats downfall, as 11 Pirates came to the plate in the frame. Trevor Lawhorn tied the game with a two out double that brought home both John Poppert and Billy Richardson. One batter later, Drew Costanzo ripped his fourth home run of the year to right. After a Norwood single, Darryl Lawhorn hit the second long ball of the inning, a two-run blast to right. John Poppert made it home run number three of the inning two batters later when he took Moll over the left center field wall.
The Pirate home run barrage continued in the sixth as Ryan Jones hit his 15th dinger of the year, a solo shot. East Carolina threatened to invoke the C-USA 10-run rule with three runs in the eight to make it a 13-3 game. Trevor Lawhorn did the damage with a three-run blast to left.
Cincinnati rounded out the scoring in the last of the eighth, when they copied the Pirates by using the long ball. Jack Nelson and Pickerell started the inning with singles and one out later, Saylor hit his sixth home run of the season with a shot over the center field batter. One out later, Moll went long for his fifth blast of the year.
The Pirates ended the day with 13 hits as four different players had two hits apiece. Trevor Lawhorn was the big run producer as he drove in five runs, giving him 11 RBI for the weekend.
Shane Mathews was outstanding on the mound for East Carolina, improving to 5-0 with seven outstanding innings. The freshman righthander allowed only three runs (two earned) on six hits, while walking one and striking out three. After wins in two consecutive starts, Moll got roughed up for 10 earned runs on nine hits in six innings of work to fall to 2-3 on the year.
The Bearcats will now try to regroup from a wild weekend, prior to a Tuesday contest at Ohio University. First pitch in Athens is scheduled for 5 p.m.