ECU Falls to Coastal Carolina 9-1 as Offensive Woes Continue
GREENVILLE, NC – The East Carolina Pirates struggled at the plate and on the mound, falling 9-1 to Coastal Carolina in a tough night at Clark-LeClair Stadium. ECU was held to just six hits, while Coastal Carolina capitalized on early offensive explosions and dominant pitching.
Head Coach Cliff Godwin expressed his disappointment in the team's approach:
"Just disappointed in the way we showed up," Godwin said. "That's on me. That's my job. I could tell watching batting practice that we weren't really hungry and didn't have a ton of energy."
He also credited Coastal’s pitching staff, saying:
"Offensively, we didn't do a good job with the plan we put in place. Their guy, tip your cap. He was really good."
One of the biggest storylines of the night was Coastal Carolina’s starting pitcher, Camerom Flukey, who recorded a career-high seven innings pitched while allowing just four hits and no runs with five strikeouts.
Coastal Strikes Early
ECU starter Sean Jenkins (L, 1-1) struggled to contain Coastal Carolina’s lineup, giving up five earned runs on five hits in just two innings. The Chanticleers did most of their damage in the second inning, scoring five runs, all with two outs, including two home runs and an RBI double to break the game open.
The Pirates' offense couldn’t find an answer early, as Dixon Williams reached on an error and stole second in the first, but ECU failed to capitalize.
Middle Innings: ECU Shut Down by Flukey
Coastal Carolina extended its lead in the fourth on a wild pitch, making it 6-0.
Meanwhile, ECU’s offense struggled to generate momentum against Flukey, who allowed just four hits through seven innings, striking out five. The Pirates managed baserunners in the fifth and sixth innings, but double plays erased any scoring threats.
Coastal added another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, pushing the lead to 7-0.
ECU’s Late Push Falls Short
ECU finally got on the board in the eighth inning when Colby Wallace scored on a wild pitch, but that was the only offense they could generate.
Coastal added two more runs in the ninth, extending the lead to 9-1. However, the inning provided a silver lining for ECU, as Michael Irby and Tyler Brashear each made their Pirate debuts on the mound.
ECU Offensive Leaders:
Colby Wallace: 2-for-3, 1 run
Dixon Williams: 1-for-4
Beau Burress: 1-for-1
Drew Downs: 1-for-3
Alex Bouche: 1-for-3
ECU Pitching Stats:
Sean Jenkins (L, 1-1): 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 0 K
Nick DiLorenzo: 1.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 HBP, 2 K
Nathan Moran: 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Matt Irby: 0.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 2 HBP
Tyler Brashear: 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K