Pirates take see-saw fracas

From electronic and staff reports
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Senior outfielder Philip Clark and junior first baseman Chase McDonald each had a pair of hits and drove in three runs as East Carolina came from behind three times for an 11-9 victory over UNC-Greensboro Tuesday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

In a wild and wooly game highlighted by erratic pitching, the teams marched 13 hurlers to the mound who collectively hit five batters and dispensed 15 walks, three wild pitches and two balks.

After shaky performances by starter Andy Smithmyer and relievers Dylan Dickens and Tyler Bolton, the Pirates turned to Jake Harris and Drew Reynolds over the last three innings. The pair issued no free passes to first base and combined to tame the Spartans (6-4) enough to enable ECU to gain a lead that would stick.

Harris was dinged for a home run by Benigno Marrero in the seventh that gave UNCG a 9-8 advantage. But the senior southpaw settled down for the rest of his two-inning stint, giving the Pirates a chance to push across three decisive runs and hand Harris (1-0) his first victory of the season.

The key hits that rescued Harris were a two-run single by McDonald and an infield RBI single by sophomore pinch-hitter Nick Thompson in the bottom of the seventh.

Article continues after the following picture.

Chase McDonald follows through
after a single that drove in the
go-ahead runs in the 7th inning.
(Photo: W.A. Myatt)

Reynolds took over the mound duties to start the ninth. The junior designated hitter-turned-closer surrendered a pair of hits but struck out three to seal the outcome and pick up his fourth save.

Dylan Thomas, the fifth of eight Spartan pitchers, took the loss after being roughed up for three runs on three hits, a walk and two hit batsmen in 2/3 of an inning of work spanning parts of the fifth and sixth frames.

ECU out-hit UNCG 15-11.

After starting the season 0-3, the Pirates have won seven of eight, including their last four in a row.

East Carolina (7-4) will take a bus ride to Norfolk today to challenge Old Dominion at 3 p.m. The Monarch (6-4) dropped a 7-6 decision at Richmond Tuesday afternoon.

PAGE UPDATED 03/06/13 01:17 AM.

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