East Carolina rolled by Rice, 11-3, in CUSA Tourney opener

Pirates drop non-pod game to Owls

East Carolina coach Billy Godwin planned his pitching plans to give his team the best chance to win its pod games against Southern Miss and Memphis.

It showed.

The Pirates (31-26) took a 1-0 lead on Kyle Roller’s two out homer to left center in the first, but it was all Owls from that point.

No. 20 Rice (36-20) received a double from leadoff man Chad Mozingo off East Carolina starter Patrick Somers. Rick Hague followed with a homerun to left and the rout was on.

The Owls added one more in the first on a Diego Seastrunk single to make it 3-1.

Mozingo made it 4-1 in the second on a sac fly to right, but the Owls exploded for four in the fourth to extend their lead to 8-1. Steven Sultzbaugh and Jeremy Rathjen delivered rbi doubles and Diego Seastrunk plated two with a single to right.

The closest the Pirates would get would be 8-3. Zach Wright connected on his 14 th home run in the fifth and Avchen scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.

The Owls opened up their biggest lead of the game in the eighth when Anthony Rendon’s single made it 9-3 and Seastrunk hit a two-run homer to left to push their advantage to 11-3.

Rice’s Taylor Wall allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings to even his record at 5-5.

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While he didn’t pitch very well, Mike Wright did his job in eating up 6.2 innings. He allowed seven runs—all earned—on eight hits. He allowed the Pirate pen to be as fresh as possible for the next two days.

Diego Seastrunk led the Owls with his 3-for-5, 5 RBI effort at the plate. Sultzbaugh and Hague also had two hits apiece.

Trent Whitehead paced the Pirates with his two-hit performance.

East Carolina will begin pool play today at noon (EST) when they play Southern Miss. Rice will also start pool play with an 8 p.m. (EST) first pitch versus crosstown rival Houston.