ECU Claims Series Win Over Saint Mary’s | Eastern North Carolina Now

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



    GREENVILLE, N.C.     Jacob Jenkins-Cowart belted his first career home run in the eighth inning lifting East Carolina to a 4-3 series win and doubleheader split over Saint Mary's Sunday evening at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 9-7 on the season, while the Gaels fall to 13-3.

    With the game knotted at three-all going to the home half of the eighth, Jenkins-Cowart deposited a 1-1 offering from Chris Santiago to deep right field giving the Pirates their only lead of the contest at 4-3. Jenkins-Cowart tallied a career-high three hits to pace the Pirates offensively, which was his team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the year.

    Garrett Saylor (1-2) earned the win in relief tossing 3.1 scoreless frames with five strikeouts and two hits. Starter Jake Hunter was touched for three runs (all earned) on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in 2.1 innings. C.J. Mayhue was stellar in relief working 3.1 scoreless innings where he surrendered three hits with six strikeouts.

    Santiago (1-1) took the loss giving up the lone run from Jenkins-Cowart in the eighth while striking out two in his inning of work. Conner Roberts allowed one run (earned) on five hits with a pair of walks and three punch outs in 5.1 innings. Owen Cuffe (0.1 IP, 1 R) and Jack Snook (1.0 IP, 0 Rs) bridged the gap between Roberts and Santiago.

    Saint Mary's took an early 2-0 lead in the second frame thanks to an RBI single by Marc Goulart and an RBI sac bunt by Seth Nager. Santiago singled up the middle to start the stanza and took second on Kyle Velazquez' base knock to right field. Two batters later Santiago would score on Goulart's shallow single down the right field line for the game's first run. Nager dropped a bunt down the first base line pushing across Velazquez from third.

    ECU responded with a run in the home half of the second cutting the lead in half, 2-1, on Cam Clonch's solo shot to right-center - his second of the season.

    The Gaels tacked on a run in the third when Velazquez doubled down the right field line scoring Javy Espinoza for a 3-1 advantage.

    ECU would plate two runs in the seventh tying the game at three. Clonch singled to center and advanced to second when Zach Agnos reached on a fielding error by Coleman Schmidt in left field. Both runners moved up 90-feet on a wild pitch which ended Cuffe's night on the bump. Ryder Giles' sac fly to right field scored Clonch and Agnos scored on a throwing error by Espinoza when Bryson Worrell hit a grounder to second.

    GAME ONE RECAP

    Nathan Chong tallied a game-high three hits and drove in a pair helping Saint Mary's to a 6-5 win over East Carolina in game one of the afternoon doubleheader. Javy Espinoza and Blake Mann each had a pair of hits, while Espinoza and Kyle Velazquez also plated a pair of runs.

    Trailing 6-2 going to the bottom of the ninth, ECU scored three runs to pull within one at 6-5. Cam Clonch led off with a single up the middle and was immediately lifted for Luke Nowak as a pinch runner. Joey Berini followed with a single through the right side putting runners on the corners. Bryson Worrell loaded the bases with a walk and each runner moved up 90-feet on a Ryan Wiltse balk. Berini would score during Lane Hoover's at-bat on a wild pitch and Hoover plate Worrell on a ground out to second for the final run of the game.

    Nathan Schneider earned the win in relief allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts. Chase Dabbs earned his first save of the year retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning. Starter Christopher Campos tossed 3.1 scoreless innings surrendering one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. Wiltse gave up three runs (all earned) on two hits with four walks and a pair strikeouts in two innings out of the bullpen.

    Josh Grosz (2-1) suffered the loss giving up three runs (all earned) on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings. The Pirates would use four arms out of the bullpen in Carter Spivey (1.2 IP, 3 Rs, 0 ERs, 3 Ks), Danny Beal (1.1 IP, 1 H), Skylar Brooks (2.0 IP, 3 Hs, 1 K) and Garrett Saylor (0.2 IP, 1 K).

    Saint Mary's struck first in game one of the doubleheader scoring two runs in the third for an early 2-0 lead. Javy Espinoza reached on an infield single and took second on Seth Nager's sac bunt. Gavin Napier followed with a single to left pushing Espinoza to third and Nathan Chong laced a two-out double to right-center clearing the bases.

    The Gaels would add a run in the fourth and three in the sixth taking a 6-0 lead

    ECU finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth scoring a pair of runs and cutting the lead to four, 6-2. Hoover reached on an infield single to second which was followed by a Jacob Jenkins-Cowart walk. Alec Makarewicz reached on a fielder's choice putting runners on the corners before Hoover scored when Carter Cunningham reached on an error. Ryan McCrystal registered his first collegiate hit with two outs sending a shot back up the middle off Schneider pushing across Makarewicz.

    ECU returns to action on Tuesday, March 15 when it travels to Old Dominion for midweek matchup in Norfolk, Va. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. (ET) and will be streamed on CUSA.TV.