GREENVILLE, N.C. (ECU ATHLETICS) – East Carolina dropped a one-run contest to begin the 22nd annual LeClair Classic Friday evening inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium, leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in a 7-6 setback to Kent State.
The Pirates (3-6) continue play Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Indiana State while Virginia Tech and Kent State match up at Noon.
Caden Leonard collected the win in relief for the Golden Flashes (2-5) as he allowed two runs on one hit with a walk and strikeout in 1.1 frames. Brad Pruett (0-2) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits. Peyton Cariaco locked down the save with 3.0 scoreless innings during which he walked two and struck out three.
Jake Casey and Alejandro Covas drove in three runs apiece for the visitors who racked up 11 hits to ECU’s nine. The top of the Pirate lineup combined for seven base knocks, five runs scored and three RBI while Austin Irby drew a trio of walks.
East Carolina starter Ethan Norby cruised through the first three innings before Kent State got on the board in the top of the fourth via a Brody Williams RBI double. Colby Wallace would tie the score in the home half of the frame with a run-scoring double of his own while John Collins cashed in with a one-out sacrifice fly to give the Pirates a 2-1 advantage.
A pair of wild pitches resulted in two runs for ECU in the bottom of the fifth as it stretched the lead to 4-1. However, the Golden Flashes hit a pair of two out three-run home runs in the top of the seventh to build a 7-4 cushion.
As they did in previous frames, the Pirates answered right back in the bottom of the seventh. Roger Vergara worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a passed ball before Alex Peltier reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Dixon Williams followed with an infield knock of his own to score Vergara and make it a two-run contest. A subsequent wild pitch allowed Peltier to cross home and slash the East Carolina deficit to 7-6.
Jake Hunter did a masterful job to leave three Kent State runners stranded in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for a tense home half of the ninth. Williams and Wallace singled consecutively with one out and Irby drew a walk on a full count to load up the bags. Collins then put a 2-2 offering in play but the visitors turned a game-ending double play to terminate the threat.
Postgame Notes
- East Carolina and Kent State have now split the only two meetings in the all-time series between the programs.
- The Pirates went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position but 3-for-4 with a runner at third and less than two outs.
- The sides combined to leave 17 runners on base while the Golden Flashes produced seven two-out RBI.
- Walker Barron has reached base safely in all nine games this season. He and Dixon Williams also own current five-game hitting streaks.
- Peltier is 7-for-14 in his last three games, raising his batting average to a team-best .324 among ECU hitters with at least 10 at bats.
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