Pirates pass first road test with 10-4 win at Old Dominion

East Carolina improves to 4-0 with its win on Wednesday

After posting a season-opening sweep over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, East Carolina passed its first road test of the season on Wednesday afternoon as it pulled away late to capture a 10-4 victory over Old Dominion at Bud Methany Complex in Norfolk, VA.

The Pirates (4-0), who will host the Ninth Annual Keith LeClair Classic this weekend, took a 1-0 lead in their first at-bat when Corey Thompson took a 2-1 offering of Monarch starter C.J. Huyett over the wall in right center.

Old Dominion (2-2) knotted the game in the second when Brent Frazier grounded into a double play to plate Chris Baker. Pirate starter Joseph Hughes had walked Baker to start the inning and he advanced to third on a single by Josh Tutwiler.

East Carolina immediately responded in its next at-bat. Ben Fultz led off the frame by tripling to center and scored on Tim Younger’s groundout to second.

The Monarchs managed to re-take the lead in the bottom of the inning, as Drew Coker drew a two-out walk from Hughes and Josh Wright proceeded to hit a two-run shot down the left field line.

Following a scoreless fourth, the Pirates went ahead 4-3 in the top of the fifth via some two-out damage. Younger doubled down the right field line before shortstop Jack Reinheimer followed with his second round-tripper of the season.

ODU tied the game when Josh Wright, who reached on a ground-rule double with one out, scored on a wild pitch by Andy Smithmeyer with two outs.

The Pirates took the lead for good in the sixth. After Chase McDonald was hit by a pitch with one out, John Wooten delivered his second homer of the season to make it 6-4.

From that point, Smithmeyer and Tanner Merritt limited ODU to just one hit over the next three innings.

Then, ECU blew the game open by scoring four runs on five hits in its last at-bat.

The Monarchs loaded the bases with one out in the ninth as Pirate reliever D.J. Jauss walked two and hit one, but he escaped his self-inflicted jam to seal the victory.

Reinheimer, Thompson, Fultz, and Younger all had two hits games for ECU, which outhit ODU, 11-8.

Andy Smithmeyer worked three innings of one hit relief to notch his first victory in his first appearance for ECU. The junior college transfer allowed one run on four hits and struck out four.

The Pirates will return home where they will begin a six-game homestand by hosting Purdue, Western Carolina, and Maryland in the Ninth Annual Keith LeClair Classic on Friday through Sunday.

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