March 25, 2006

Box Score

ECU 4, Rice 3 (PDF)

HOUSTON, TEXAS - Jason Neitz pitched a season-high 2 1/3 innings of relief, struck out three batters and picked up his first win of the season as East Carolina defeated No. 2 Rice 4-3 at Reckling Park in the Conference USA opener for both teams Friday night.

The Pirates (17-7), who trailed 3-2 in the top of the ninth, scored a pair of runs on a Jay Mattox fielder's choice which plated Jaime Ray and Stephen Batts for the go ahead run. Ray led off the top of the ninth with a double to left field and advanced to third after Ryan Wood's walk and Brandon Henderson's hit by pitch.

With one out, Mattox hit a hard grounder to Joe Savery, who went to second trying to get the game ending double-play. But a hard slide by Wood at second caused shortstop Brian Friday to make a wild throw over to first, scoring Batts for the Pirates fourth run of the game.

Pirate starter T.J. Hose did not factor in the decision, but kept the potent Owls (18-8) to just two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work before giving way to Neitz in the bottom of the seventh.

Offensively the Pirates were led by Wood, who extended his hit streak to four games after going 2-for-3 on the night. Mattox extended his hit streak to six games with a 1-for-4 performance at the plate with a pair of RBI's. Senior first baseman Adam Witter also collected a hit on the day with his second career triple in the fourth.

Eddie Degerman worked 7 1/3 innings allowing two runs with 11 strike outs, which tied a season-high and also did not factor in the decision. Cole St. Clair came into relieve Degerman in the top of the eighth with one out, before mowing down two consecutive Pirate batters to end the inning. But two runs in the top of the ninth gave him his second loss of the season.

Rice collected seven hits in the game getting two each from Tyler Henly, Jordan Dodson and Brian Friday. Danny Lehman, who came in for injured catcher Travis Reagan in the top of the fifth, recorded the other Owl hit.

The Owls plated the games first run in the bottom of the third when Henly drove in Kenny Ford from second with a two out single. Ford got the inning going when he reached on a fielding error by Pirate second baseman Ryan Wood.

ECU tied the game up in the top of the fifth when Wood singled home Harrison Eldridge from second base. Eldridge led the inning off with a walk then advanced to second on an Owl wild pitch, before scoring on Wood's single to right field.

Mattox drove in his 12th run of the season with a two out single in the top of the seventh up the middle scoring Wood from second to put the Pirates up 2-1.

Rice answered in the bottom of the seventh scoring two runs on a Lehman's single to left field scoring Bobby Bramhall and Derek Myers to take a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates and Owls will resume the series Saturday afternoon in game two at Reckling Park at 3 p.m. (EST).