May 14, 2006

Box Score

ECU 12, UAB 2 (7 innings)

GREENVILLE, N.C. - For the second straight day Adam Witter hammered two home runs, while Jake Smith and Adam Hodges also went yard as the Pirates completed the series sweep of UAB Sunday afternoon 12-2 at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Due to Conference USA's 10-run rule on Sunday's the game was halted after seven innings of play.

Witter continued his hot bat smacking his third home run in two days in the bottom of the first to highlight an ECU four-run inning. Smith singled home Harrison Eldridge to plate the games first run. After Witter's two-run bomb to right field, that scored Smith, Ryan Tousley laced a double to right-center scoring Jay Mattox to close the inning at 4-0.

Dustin Sasser improved to 5-6 after picking up his first win since March 18 when the Pirates defeated Marist 7-0. He allowed just one hit over five innings while tying a career-high in strikeouts with seven. The only time Sasser was in trouble came in the top of the second after he walked Phillip Bell and Ryne Lovdahl before hitting J.R. Bond to load the bases. He then struck out the side to end the Blazers threat. Jason Neitz and Scott Andrews each worked an inning of relief to preserve the win.

Witter finished the game going 2-for-3 with two homers, three RBI and two runs scored. Smith also added two hits in two at-bats with a bomb and three RBI before being pulled in the third inning. Seven other Pirates collected hits on the afternoon while Tousley, Stephen Batts, Adam Hodges and Brandon Henderson each knocked in runs.

Drew Murray fell to 2-5 on the year after lasting just one inning. He gave up nine runs (eight earned) on six hits while striking out one. Grant Addison tossed one inning in relief allowing three runs on three hits and Kasey Croft finished the game working four innings while giving up just two hits.

Lovdahl, who broke up Sasser's no-hitter in the top of the fourth, went 1-for-2 from the plate with one RBI. Donny Muth had one of the other three hits and knocked in a run in the top of the seventh.

The Pirates put up seven-spot in the bottom of the second to extend its lead to 11-0. Smith launched his tenth home run of the season, a two-run shot, scoring Dale Mollenhauer. Witter made it back-to-back homers with his second of the day a solo shot to dead centerfield. Batts singled home Ryan Wood from third and Tousley scored on Henderson's sacrifice fly to end the scoring.

Hodges cranked his first home run as a Pirate in the bottom of the third to push the lead to 12-0.

UAB plated its only runs in the top of the seventh when Muth singled home Steven Turner and Lovdahl drove in Jorge Gutierrez on a sacrifice fly to make the game 12-2.

The Pirates will hit the road for their final four games before heading to Houston, Texas for the Conference USA Tournament. Up first for ECU will be Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, May 16 with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.

Game Notes