Pirates bats held in check, fall to Campbell 7-2

After scoring a combined 20 runs in a weekend sweep of The College of William & Mary (0-4, 0-0 CAA) to begin the season, East Carolina University’s (3-1, 0-0 AAC) baseball team was shut out on Wednesday night against Campbell University (2-2, 0-0 Big South) by a score of 7-2.

A two-run second inning, kicked off by a solo home run from junior outfielder/infielder Connor Denning, helped the Camels gain an early advantage over ECU.

ECU will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 22 when it plays host to Georgia Southern in a doubleheader starting at 12 noon. pic.twitter.com/5hiw79Z3OC

— ECU Baseball (@ECUBaseball) February 20, 2020

Making his first start at the Division I level, junior left-handed pitcher Elijah Gill looked rocky in the early going. A lead-off single from the Camels gave Gill little time to settle in, while a two-out single from junior infielder Zach Williams plated the initial run of the contest.

That two-out RBI would be the first of two for the Camels on Wednesday, as a double in the second inning from senior outfielder A.J. Hrica gave Campbell its third run of the evening.

As it turned out, three runs would be plenty for the Camels as ECU could not overcome its sloppy play in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

All told, the Pirates’ pitching staff plunked four batters and walked three more, helping to set-up big innings for the home squad. Already tabbed with a 4-0 lead, Campbell capitalized on two hit-by-pitches and a walk to finally break the contest open.

With opportunities to climb back in the game, ECU was finally put into a deep hole with a three-game seventh inning by the home team. Having loaded the bases without a hit, Campbell scored on the third hit batsman of the frame to take a 5-0 lead.

The nail in the coffin, however, was a two-run RBI single off the bat of Williams. The junior, who finished the contest with a 2-for-3 effort, also racked up three RBIs and was on base three times on Wednesday.

As a team, the Camels pounded the ECU pitching staff for 10 hits, including two doubles and a home run while Campbell’s starter yielded just one base knock over four innings.

Matching Gill with his first Division I start, sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Adams had each and every one of his off-speed and breaking offers working. While Adams’ fastball was lively, he also effectively mixed in a stellar changeup and a 12-6 curveball that he used to punch out sophomore infielder Connor Norby and junior catcher Seth Caddell in the second inning.

Over his four frames, Adams struck out six ECU batters while Gill failed to escape the second inning while working on a pre-set pitch count from the coaching staff.

Offensively, ECU’s bats continued to be held quiet by Campbell’s bullpen. After Adams’ departure, three Camel relievers combined to finish the shutout of the nationally ranked Pirates. Redshirt sophomore left-handed pitcher John Vanderploeg logged a scoreless frame while freshman right-handed pitcher Fred Sisco ate up three innings in relief.

Over three-plus innings of work, Sisco struck out four Pirate hitters and gave up just three hits while ECU totaled only five on the evening.

A combined 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, ECU held plenty of opportunities to break into the scoring column. With the bases loaded in the fourth inning and down just 3-0 at that time, sophomore infielder Ryder Giles struck out looking to end the threat.

While Campbell built a lead, ECU’s bats fell silent, only to reawaken in the ninth inning down by seven runs. With Sisco fading, the Pirates lead-off the inning with two singles and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. After 42 pitches, Sisco was pulled in favor of senior right-handed pitcher Jack Yusko.

Aided by a trio of hit batsmen, the Pirates scrapped across two runs in the ninth inning, avoiding the shutout. With only one away, however, junior outfielder Trevor Losito grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to put the cap on a 7-2 loss on Wednesday.

Overall, the Pirates finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, a hit that came from junior outfielder Bryson Worrell in the final frame of the contest. Unable to string together back-to-back hits for much of the evening, the Pirates failed to capitalize on five hit-by-pitches by Camel pitchers, including three in the ninth.

A combined 1-for-12 with runners on base and 0-for-3 with the bases loaded, ECU left a total of nine runners on the base paths.

Accounting for two of the Pirates’ five hits on Wednesday, Worrell reached base four times by adding two walks to his stat line.

On the mound, ECU used eight pitchers to piece together eight innings. Charged with three runs on five hits, Gill was tabbed with the loss while junior right-handed pitcher Nick Logusch and sophomore right-handed pitcher Carter Spivey were issued the three other earned runs of the game.

The Pirates will be back in action on Saturday at noon against Georgia Southern University (3-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) to kick-off a weekend series in Clark-LeClair Stadium.