Pirates Swept at Home After Late Collapse Against Owls

GREENVILLE, N.C. — What started as a promising Sunday afternoon turned into another frustrating finish for East Carolina, as Florida Atlantic rallied for four unanswered runs over the final three innings to hand the Pirates an 8–6 loss and complete a three-game sweep at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates led 6–4 heading into the seventh, but the Owls chipped away with a run in the seventh, tied it in the eighth, and then jumped ahead with two in the ninth to finish off the comeback. East Carolina never answered, going down quietly in the bottom half as a deflated crowd watched the Owls seal their first sweep in Greenville.

It marked ECU’s first time being swept at home since the 2022 opening series against Bryant, and their first sweep in a home conference series since falling to Houston in 2018. The Pirates had entered the weekend winners of six straight and unbeaten in American play.

The loss also dropped ECU to 13–8 at home this season ,very much differnt from recent years. The Pirates went 29–6 at Clark-LeClair Stadium in 2024, 29–5 in 2023, 27–11 in 2022, 29–4 in 2021, and 28–6 in 2019. Simply put, weekends like this almost never happen in Greenville.

Plenty of Offense, But Missed Opportunities

ECU pounded out 12 hits and had several chances to blow the game open but stranded eight runners and committed four defensive errors that allowed FAU to stay within striking distance all afternoon.

Dixon Williams homered and finished 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. Alec Irby had his best offensive game in a while, going 2-for-3 with a walk, RBI single, and another run driven in on a fielder’s choice.

Walker Barron also picked up two hits and a run from behind the plate, continuing to give ECU solid at-bats in the heart of the order. Braden Burress stayed consistent with another multi-hit day, going 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Braxton Tramel added a solo homer in the fifth.

Pitching Holds Early, But Can’t Close It Out

Bradd Pruett gave the Pirates a strong start, working five full innings and striking out eight while allowing just three runs on three hits. He kept the Owls quiet after an early homer and exited with the lead.

Ethan Young followed and ran into trouble in the seventh, allowing three hits and a run that trimmed ECU’s lead to one. Lance Williams entered to get a quick out in the seventh, but the Owls struck again in the eighth.

Sean Jenkins took the ball in the ninth with the game tied and couldn’t stop the bleeding. The sophomore allowed four hits and two earned runs over two innings, including the go-ahead shot that handed him the loss dropping him to 3–2 on the season.

In all, ECU struck out 13 but also allowed 11 hits and four walks in the loss.

Godwin: 'We Played to Lose'

The message after the sweep was clear — things have to change.

“We played to lose,” ECU head coach Cliff Godwin said. “We just did stuff that was so uncharacteristic of ourselves. We just didn’t play good enough baseball to win. Also our position players look tired, which we only played seven innings yesterday. But they look like they have concrete in their feet. It’s my job to get them tougher. We’ll get tougher.”

Despite the disappointment, Godwin reminded everyone of what ECU baseball is built on , belief.

“We haven’t been swept in conference since 2018. It’s been a while,” he said. “We’re going to be fine. As I told our players, if you don’t believe, don’t show up tomorrow. I believe. I’ve believed since Day 1. I’m going to keep believing. We’re going to be fine. And we’ll go back to the drawing board tomorrow.”

What’s Next

With the loss, East Carolina falls to 20–13 overall and 7–3 in American Athletic Conference play. The Pirates are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday night inside Clark-LeClair Stadium, hosting in-state rival NC State.

The sweep also dropped ECU’s RPI to 93, putting a serious dent in the American’s at-large hopes , though there are still six regular season weeks remaining before the conference tournament. The road ahead will require a strong bounce-back if the Pirates hope to play their way back into postseason contention.