WILMINGTON, N.C. ? Junior Brandon Henderson's two-run double in the bottom of the eight inning lifted No. 30 East Carolina to a 3-2 win over No. 26 UNC Wilmington in non-conference baseball action Tuesday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Pirates halted a three game losing streak and finished a season sweep of the Seahawks to improve to 37-16. The Seahawks, meanwhile, had their six game winning streak snapped and fell to 39-12-1 on the season following their final non-conference game of the season.
Junior reliever Josh Ruhlman (4-3) picked up the win throwing one inning in relief for ECU. Freshman Seth Simmons earned his second save of the season pitching out of trouble in the ninth.
Freshman Cameron Roth was saddled with the loss for the Seahawks and fell to 5-2.
Senior Corey Kemp led the ECU lineup with two hits; he was the only player in the pitching dominated game with at least two hits.
One game after scoring a season-high 23 runs, UNCW was held to a season-low three hits against eight Pirates hurlers.
The Seahawks plated the first run of the game in the top of third to jump in front. Sophomore Bobby Leeper opened the UNCW third with a walk and moved to second on a ground out. With two out, freshman Alex Hill lined a single to center that scored Leeper. The ball got past the center fielder and Hill moved all the way to third.
UNCW senior starter Larry Salefsky, who finished with a career-high five strikeouts in six innings, held the Pirates in check until the sixth when freshman Dustin Harrington, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, led off with a homer to left that tied the game. ECU would load the bases on Kemp's single to right later in the inning, but Salefsky retired the next two batters on a foul pop to the catcher and fielder's choice to close it out.
The Seahawks mounted a rally in the eight when senior Jes Snyder drew a 1-out walk and sophomore Mike Rooney followed with a bunt hit to third. Ruhlman entered the game and halted the rally with a ground out and a line out.
The Pirates carried the momentum into the bottom of the inning, scoring twice and breaking the deadlock. Roth began the inning walking the first two Pirate hitters. Senior Allen Flood fared no better as he walked Kemp to load the bases. Henderson broke the deadlock with a 2-run double to left on a 1-2 count by Flood.
UNCW attempted to rally in the ninth with senior Jason Appel leading off with a walk and senior Mark Carver getting hit by a pitch with none out. Senior Nate Hall moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. ECU brought in Simmons to face sophomore pinch hitter Rhett Miller, who fanned for the second out of the inning. An error brought in UNCW's first run of the inning. Simmons then closed out the game by getting Holt to ground out to second base.
The Seahawks close out their regular season with three games against Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion. The Monarchs and the Seahawks open the series on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Notes: The Seahawks dropped to 9-2 in 1-run decisions ... Larry Salefsky pitched into the seventh for the second time in as many starts ... Allen Flood has allowed 16-of-33 inherited runners to score ... UNCW moved to 15-7-1 on the road.
