Box Score June 1, 2007
Final Stats |
Chapel Hill, N.C. -
East Carolina captured its first lead of the game off a two-RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth to cap a five-run rally which spanned two innings as the Pirates came from behind to down Western Carolina, 9-8, Friday afternoon in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA Baseball Championship Chapel Hill Regional at Boshamer Stadium. WCU fell to 1-14 all-time against ECU as the Pirates have won 13 straight since the Catamount's lone victory 30 years ago.
With WCU's fourth-straight loss - which ties its season-long losing skid - the Catamounts are relegated to the loser's bracket game at 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon where they will face the Atlantic-Sun champion, Jacksonville (34-27). The Dolphins were shut out the host North Carolina Tar Heels, 6-0, on Friday evening.
Trailing 8-4 following a three-run top of the sixth inning for Western, East Carolina (40-21) used a three-run, pinch hit home run by Corey Kemp to left field to answer, pulling back within one, 8-7. Holding WCU scoreless over the final three frames, the Pirates' Jamie Ray laced a sharp ground ball single up the middle with the bases-loaded in the eighth inning to score the go-ahead run, capping the rally.
Junior reliever Greg Holland suffered the loss for WCU - his second-straight defeat in relief - tossing an inning and two thirds in relief allowing two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits with three walks. Junior starter Tyler Sexton worked five innings for the Catamounts, surrendering four runs, three earned, on seven hits with seven strikeouts on 100 pitches. The High Point, N.C., native was lifted with a 4-3 lead and did not factor in the decision. Freshman Chris Masters pitched an inning and a third giving up three earned runs, including the three-run home run to Kemp, on five total hits with a pair of strikeouts looking and one walk.
Western (40-19) led the 28th-ranked Pirates for the first seven and a half innings after jumping on top, 3-0, in the visitor portion of the first inning. The Catamounts capitalized on a lead-off single by junior Barrett Shaft who despite continuing to nurse severe shin splints returned to the lineup as the designated hitter. Junior Blake Murphy drew his first of two walks on the day with his classmate, Steven Strausbaugh, loading the bases after being hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count. Southern Conference consensus Player of the Year, Kenny Smith, then drove in his first of two runs on the day, plating Shaft with an RBI single through the left side.
With the bases still loaded, junior Jonathan Greene was hit by his school single-season record 21st pitch of the season to drive in the second run, with Strausbaugh scoring the final run of the first on a double-play ball hit by senior John Ingram to give Western the 3-0 advantage.
Yet, in the bottom of the frame, the Pirates answered with a pair of runs after Sexton recorded two outs through the first two batters. Yet, three-consecutive base hits, including an RBI double by right fielder Ryan Tousley, pulled ECU back within a run, 3-2.
The Catamounts managed to plate runs in both the second and third, manufacturing a run off a lead-off single by senior Donnie Wilson in the second and the 24th double of the year by Smith in the third. Wilson came home off an RBI double to left center by Murphy, while Smith raced home on an attempted double-play turn along the infield off the bat of freshman Nick Liles, who was credited with a fielder's choice and RBI on the play.
In the bottom of the third, trailing 5-2, East Carolina again struck with two out as an RBI single to center field by first baseman Brandon Henderson scored eventual hero, Ray, to close the gap to a pair, 5-3. A solo home run by Tousley to right center sliced the deficit to one, 5-4, after five innings of play.
Western Carolina seemingly seized control of the game in the top of the sixth inning, posting a three-spot to take the largest lead of the game at four runs, 8-4. Shaft again singled to open the frame in front of Murphy, who hammered one to straight-away center field where Pirate outfielder Harrison Eldridge robbed the Waynesville native of at least extra bases - if not a home run. Strausbaugh delivered a one-out single to put two aboard in front of Smith, who came through with an RBI single.
With a 1-1 count the next batter, junior Jonathan Greene, WCU head coach Todd Raleigh signaled a hit-and-run which the Cats executed to perfection. With both runners taking off from their respective bases, Greene poked one through the right side for a base hit, scoring Strausbaugh with Smith moving to third on the play. Yet a throwing error by the Tousley in right allowed Smith to scamper home, with heads-up base running by Greene allowing the Boone native to advance to third with only one out. The Catamounts were able to load the bases with back-to-back walks by Liles and Ingram, but were unable to do further damage as another double-play turned by the ECU infield ended the threat.
Half an inning later, Kemp's three-run homer spurred the rally, with Ray's bouncing ball, two-run single in the eighth pushing East Carolina into the winner's bracket game against North Carolina.
For East Carolina, Jason Neitz (5-2) came on in the seventh inning and worked an inning and two thirds shutout innings for his first victory since April 13. Closer Shane Mathews pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. Pirate starter, T.J. Hose (6-6) exited in the third after allowing a lead-off double to Smith, and was touched up for five runs on six hits.
Shaft led Western with a 4-for-5 outing at the plate before being lifted for a pinch runner in the top of the seventh inning. Also posting multiple hit games for the Catamounts were Ingram (3-for-4) and Smith (3-for-5), with Strausbaugh and Wilson each finishing with two base hits apiece.
Saturday's game against Jacksonville will be aired by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard in Western North Carolina on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee or online at www.WWCUFM.com. Air time on Saturday is set for 12:45 pm, with a 1:00 pm first pitch.
Western Carolina Post-Game Notes:
* Junior Jonathan Greene was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this season, marking a school-record ... for his career, Greene has been hit 40 times, also a school-record;
* Junior Blake Murphy moved into a three-way tie for ninth on WCU's single-season charts for runs scored in a season with 71 ... Murphy also moved into sixth on the single-season walks leader board currently with 52 on the season, two shy of fifth and 10 shy of first place;
* With four total bases on Friday, senior Kenny Smith moved past the late Keith LeClair on WCU's single-season record book for total bases ... LeClair had 176 total bases back in 1988, erasing the 19-year old record;
* With three hits on Friday, Smith also moved into sole possession of seventh on WCU's single-season hits chart ... Smith also has 81 RBI on the season, three shy of tying Chris Moore (1999) for the school's single-season record and is six thy of tying Chris Campbell for the SoCon single-season record (87, 1995).
