ECU Wins Series Opener Over VCU, 8-2 | Eastern North Carolina Now

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



    GREENVILLE, N.C.     All nine starters in East Carolina's lineup registered at least one hit lifting the Pirates to an 8-2 series opening win over VCU Friday night at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the victory, the Pirates improved to 13-10 on the year while the Rams dropped to 11-9.

    Leading 1-0 going to the third frame, the Pirates plated five runs on five hits and batted around to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Lane Hoover got things going with a walk and moved to second on Jacob Jenkins-Cowart's single to left field. Alec Makarewicz followed with a bunt single coupled with a Ram throwing error by Campbell Ellis that allowed Hoover to score the first run. Zach Agnos tallied the second of his three hits with an RBI single through the left side pushing across Jenkins-Cowart before Josh Moylan loaded the bases after being hit by an Ellis pitch. Two batters later, after a Ram pitching change, Ben Newton plated Makarewicz on a sac bunt and Ryder Giles' base knock up the middle scored Agnos and Moylan to cap the frame.

    Jake Kuchmaner (3-1) earned the win allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts over five innings of work. Trey Yesavage notched his first save coming in with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth retiring Will Carlone via strikeout. Four additional Pirates had scoreless outings in relief Friday including Garrett Saylor (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 Ks), Skylar Brooks (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks), Danny Beal (0.2 IP) and Merritt Beeker (0.0 IP, 2 BBs).

    Ellis (0-3) suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) on six hits with a walk and one punch out in 2.1 innings. Jack Masloff tossed 3.2 scoreless frames giving up three hits with a pair of walks and strikeouts. Nolan Wilson closed out the contest allowing two runs (both earned) on two hits while striking out four.

    ECU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Agnos' RBI single to right in the first inning. Hoover got things started with an one-out infield single to third base and moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt at first by Ellis. Jenkins-Cowart's ground out to second pushed Hoover up 90 feet and two batters later he scored on Agnos' hit.

    VCU scored single runs in the fourth and fifth stanzas pulling within four, 6-2. Jesse Robinson plated the first Rams run on a pinch-hit single through the right side plating Logan Amiss. Consecutive two-out doubles by Amiss and Connor Hujsak accounted for the run in the fifth frame.

    Back-to-back home runs from Moylan and Jacob Starling in the seventh extended the Pirates' lead back to six. Moylan blasted his third of the season with a shot to right field on the first pitch he saw from Wilson and Starling followed with his second round-tripper of the year on a first pitch offering from Wilson. The blasts by both marked the second-straight game for each with a home run.

    Agnos lead all Pirates with three hits recording his team-best ninth multi-hit game of the year, while he and Giles each drove in a pair of runs. Hoover and Moylan both touched home twice and four others in Agnos, Jenkins-Cowart, Makarewicz and Starling scored a run.

    ECU and VCU will continue the weekend series Saturday, March 26 with a 4 p.m. (ET) schedule first pitch and will be streamed on ESPN+.