Pirates Defeat Highlanders, 7-5 | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of ECU Sports.



    RADFORD, Va.     Bryson Worrell reached base four times (two hits, two walks) while Zach Agnos and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart each added a pair of hits helping East Carolina to a 7-5 win over Radford Wednesday at Williams Field at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium. With the victory, the Pirates improve to 7-6 on the year while the Highlanders drop to 5-8.

    Merritt Beeker (1-0) picked up his first collegiate win after allowing one run (earned) on two hits with three walks in his first collegiate start. C.J. Mayhue notched his first save of the season working one-third of an inning when he got Cameron Pittman to ground out in the ninth with a runner on first. Danny Beal worked a career-best four innings in relief giving up one run (earned) on three hits with three punch outs. Skylar Brooks worked one scoreless frame and Bradley Wilson allowed three runs (two earned) with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning before passing the ball to Mayhue.

    Brandon Feathers (0-1) took the loss working two innings allowing a pair of runs (both earned) on two hits with a strikeout. The Highlanders would use four arms in relief getting work from Derek Domecq (4.0 IP, 1 R), Foster Seitz (0.1 IP, 1 R), Gannon Kadlecik (0.2 IP, 1 R), Johnny Maynard (1.0 IP, 1 R) and Storm Mace (1.0 IP, 1 R).

    The Pirates wasted little time in getting on the board scoring a pair of runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Bryson Worrell led of the frame with a bunt single to third and stole second before taking third two batters later when Jacob Jenkins-Cowart reached on a Radford error. Alec Makarewicz plated the game's first run on a ground out to short before Carter Cunningham singled home Jenkins-Cowart with a shot back up the middle coupled with another Radford fielding miscue.

    Radford responded with a run in the home half of the first making it a 2-1 contest. Cameron Pittman (walk), Zack Whitacre (single) and David Bryant (walk) loaded the bases for Julian Rojas, who grounded into a 6-4-3 double play with Pittman crossing home on the play.

    The Highlanders played a little small ball in the home half of the fifth scoring a run and tying the game at two-all. Ty Dooley, who tallied four hits in the game, doubled to left center off Beal to start the inning and then took third on Adam Morris sac bunt down the first base line and scored on Pittman's sac bunt back to the mound.

    ECU countered with a run in the sixth retaking the lead at 3-2. Jenkins-Cowart extended his hit streak to a team-best seven games with a leadoff single to left center and took second on the third Highlander error of the day. Makarewicz' sac bunt moved Jenkins-Cowart to third and Cunningham plated the run with a sac fly to center field, his second RBI of the contest.

    The Pirates added to their lead scoring two runs in the seventh and two in the ninth for a 7-2 advantage. Ben Newton got things started with an infield single and was lifted for Luke Nowak as a pinch runner. Nowak stole second and took third on Ryder Giles ground out. Worrell followed with a walk and Lane Hoover's squeeze bunt, where he was thrown out at first, pushed across Nowak and Jenkins-Cowart's single to left scored Hoover.

    Hoover's RBI double in the ninth plated Worrell and Hoover would later score on a wild pitch extending ECU's lead to five, 7-2. Radford would score three runs in the ninth before Mayhue closed out the game for a 7-5 victory.

    ECU returns to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium Friday, March 11 when it hosts St. Mary's (Calif.) for a three game set. First pitch of the weekend is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (EST) and will be streamed on ESPN+.