GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 16-ranked East Carolina scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, rallying to defeat Southeastern Louisiana, 2-1, in opening day action at the 13th annual Keith LeClair Classic.
Southeastern (5-4) and the Pirates (7-2) locked into a pitcher's duel from the start.
ECU starting pitcher Evan Kruczynski worked around a pair of runners in the first inning and Lion starter
Kyle Cedotal (1-2), who entered the game as the national leader in strikeouts, got Pirate catcher Travis Watkins to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end his half of the inning.
Southeastern put runners on in each of the first four innings, but could not scratch across a run off Kruczynski.
The Lions best opportunity to score came in the sixth. Third baseman
Derrick Mount reached on an infield single and
Jameson Fisher, the Louisiana Co-Hitter of the Month, worked a walk to start the inning. Mount was forced at third, however, on a sacrifice bunt and Kruczynski enduced a double-play grounder to end the inning.
ECU responded with its best threat to that stage of the game.
Center fielder Garret Brooks chopped an infield single to shortstop. After he was sacrificed to second, Brooks advanced to third base on a 1-out wild pitch. Cedotal walked Pirate second baseman Charlie Yorgen before getting Watkins to once again ground into a 6-4-3 double play.
In the eighth, Cedotal again stranded the potential go-ahead run at third.
Southeastern finally broke through with the game's first run in the ninth.
Fisher knocked a leadoff single to center. With one out, second baseman
Carson Crites greeted reliever Sam Lanier with an opposite-field single to right, allowing Fisher to advance to third.
Pirate head coach Cliff Godwin countered with left-handed reliever Nick Durazo to face Southeastern right fielder
Webb Bobo, a left-handed hitter, but Lion head coach
Matt Riser elected to send up the right-handed hitting
Ryan Byers as a pinch hitter.
Byers pushed a bunt single up the first-base line, plating Fisher with the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the ninth, Cedotal walked ECU third baseman Eric Tyler to open the inning. Designated hitter Dwanya Williams-Sutton chopped an infield single to third, putting a pair on with no outs. Cedotal hit the next batter, right fielder Jeff Nelson, with a pitch to load the bases.
Following a fielder's choice grounder to short, culminating in a play at the plate for an out, shortstop Turner Brown ripped a sinking line drive to center.
Jacob Seward made a diving attempt to grab the ball, but it skipped passed him allowing two runs to score for ECU.
Reliever Chris Holba (1-0) earned the win, retiring a pair of batters in the ninth. Cedotal suffered the hard-luck loss, allowing a pair of runs in 8.1 innings of work. He scattered seven hits, walking and fanning four apiece.
Mount went 3-for-4 to lead the Lions at the plate.
In other opening-day action, Maryland (4-4) held off Tennessee (6-2), 10-9.
Saturday's first pitch against the Terrapins (4-4) is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT) at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
There is no local radio coverage, but fans can keep up with the game through live statistics or by following SLUathletics on Twitter. A link for live stats is available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
East Carolina 2, Southeastern 1 (Mar 04, 2016 at Greenville,N.C.)
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Southeastern........ 000 000 001 - 1 7 1 (5-4)
East Carolina........ 000 000 002 - 2 7 3 (7-2)
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Pitchers: Southeastern - Cedotal, Kyle and Eades, Chris. East Carolina - Kruczynski, Evan; Lanier, Sam (9); Durazo, Nick (9); Holba, Chris (9) and Watkins, Travis.
Win-Holba, Chris (1-0) Loss-Cedotal, Kyle (1-2) T-2:50 A-2237
Lanier, S. faced 1 batter in the 9th.
Durazo faced 1 batter in the 9th.
