Double comeback lifts Cougars

From electronic and staff reports
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Six of Houston's 10 hits and all five of its runs came in the final three innings as the Cougars overcame a deficit to force extra innings and rallied again in the extra frame to prevail in a 5-4 Conference USA victory over East Carolina Sunday afternoon at Cougar Field.

The Cougars capped off the double comeback by manufacturing two runs from three singles, a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th to trump a home run by ECU junior outfielder Dylan Brown in the top of the inning.

The win, Houston's 10th in a row, boosted the team's record to 21-4 overall, 3-0 in the league, and completed a sweep of the three-game series with the Pirates. The Cougars won Friday's matchup 7-2 and captured Saturday's contest 4-3.

The outcome extended ECU's misery of late. The Pirates, who fell to 11-13, 0-3 in C-USA, have lost five consecutive games and eight of their last ten.

ECU, which scored a pair of runs in the first and one in the fifth, was cruising along with a 3-0 lead and seemed to be in control of the game until making a pitching change in the 8th inning.

Redshirt freshman righthander David Lucroy put in a sterling start, mastering the Cougars on four hits with eight strikeouts through seven frames. Three of the KOs came in the 7th when Lucroy fanned the side in order.

After dinging Houston's Ashford Fulmer to start the eighth, Lucroy was pulled for senior righthander Andy Smithmyer, who walked the only batter he faced before giving way to senior lefthander Jake Harris.

Harris uncorked a wild pitch, gave up a single and made a throwing error on a pickoff attempt to open the door for the Cougars to score two runs.

Designated hitter Drew Reynolds, a junior rightie, took over the pitching chores and got out of that inning with no more damage, but he had less success in the final two frames.

In the 9th, Houston got to Reynolds for a run on two walks and a single to force extra innings.

ECU appeared poised to put the game away when Brown led off the 10th with a round-tripper to right field, but the Pirates' optimism of the moment was fleeting as the Cougars responded in the bottom of the inning with the decisive runs.

The Pirates have a day to regroup for a 6 p.m. Tuesday home game with William & Mary.

PAGE UPDATED 03/25/13 04:56 AM.

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