Friday, March 11
Greenville, NC
12:00 p.m.
Saint Mary's College of California
2
at
7
East Carolina
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BASE | Pirates Take Game One in Greenville
3/11/2022 5:50:00 PM | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – A four-run third inning propelled the East Carolina Pirates to a 7-2 win over the Gaels on Friday afternoon to bring the Gaels to 12-2 on the season.
Each team threatened in the second inning, but Nathan Chong was picked off at second to end the top half of the inning and Seth Nager made a diving play in center field to end the bottom of the inning.
But the Pirates got the scoring started in the third with a solo home run to make it 1-0. That was followed by a double and a single down the right-field line for a 2-0 ECU lead. A stolen base with a throwing error advanced a runner to third, and Nager made another diving play on a line drive for the first out of the inning and to a sac fly and a 3-0 Pirates lead. Preston Howey checked in for starter Ryan Taurek and allowed one more sac fly that was aided by and errant throw from center for a 4-0 lead by ECU.
The Gaels answered in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on a Christopher Campos double, a walk by Chong, and a Nick Mistone hit by pitch. Kyle Velazquez drove a ball into right field for a sac fly that plated Campos to make it a 4-1 game. The Gaels missed a bigger by inches as the ECU right fielder robbed Blake Mann of an RBI hit when he made a shoe string grab coming in on Mann's liner.
Howey walked a pair of batters in the bottom of the fourth with one out, followed by a single through the right side that made it 5-1 ECU. The Gaels got a run in the top of the sixth when Mistone singled in Almanza from second. But again, a great defensively play by the Pirates thwarted the potential of a bigger inning when Velazquez ripped a ball to third that turned into an inning-ending double play as the ECU third baseman played the tough hop on a back hand and stepped on third before firing to first.
ECU tacked on two more in the eighth with a solo home run off Chase Dabbs and an RBI groundout with Jack Snook in the game.
The Gaels played well overall outside of issuing some free passes and perhaps chasing a few sliders late in the game from an impressive ECU bullpen, but it was mostly a tip-your-cap kind of game to a Pirates team that finished last season ranked 13th in the country and made some fantastic defensive plays.
Campos went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Mistone and Velazquez each went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Nager made several highlight-reel worthy plays in center, including two reaching up at the wall to take away potential home runs.
UP NEXT
Game two with the Pirates is set for 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time in Greenville on Saturday.
Each team threatened in the second inning, but Nathan Chong was picked off at second to end the top half of the inning and Seth Nager made a diving play in center field to end the bottom of the inning.
But the Pirates got the scoring started in the third with a solo home run to make it 1-0. That was followed by a double and a single down the right-field line for a 2-0 ECU lead. A stolen base with a throwing error advanced a runner to third, and Nager made another diving play on a line drive for the first out of the inning and to a sac fly and a 3-0 Pirates lead. Preston Howey checked in for starter Ryan Taurek and allowed one more sac fly that was aided by and errant throw from center for a 4-0 lead by ECU.
The Gaels answered in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out on a Christopher Campos double, a walk by Chong, and a Nick Mistone hit by pitch. Kyle Velazquez drove a ball into right field for a sac fly that plated Campos to make it a 4-1 game. The Gaels missed a bigger by inches as the ECU right fielder robbed Blake Mann of an RBI hit when he made a shoe string grab coming in on Mann's liner.
Howey walked a pair of batters in the bottom of the fourth with one out, followed by a single through the right side that made it 5-1 ECU. The Gaels got a run in the top of the sixth when Mistone singled in Almanza from second. But again, a great defensively play by the Pirates thwarted the potential of a bigger inning when Velazquez ripped a ball to third that turned into an inning-ending double play as the ECU third baseman played the tough hop on a back hand and stepped on third before firing to first.
ECU tacked on two more in the eighth with a solo home run off Chase Dabbs and an RBI groundout with Jack Snook in the game.
The Gaels played well overall outside of issuing some free passes and perhaps chasing a few sliders late in the game from an impressive ECU bullpen, but it was mostly a tip-your-cap kind of game to a Pirates team that finished last season ranked 13th in the country and made some fantastic defensive plays.
Campos went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Mistone and Velazquez each went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Nager made several highlight-reel worthy plays in center, including two reaching up at the wall to take away potential home runs.
UP NEXT
Game two with the Pirates is set for 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time in Greenville on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
SS/RHP
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