ECU wins opener in ninth

From electronic and staff reports
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GREENVILLE — East Carolina scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to top James Madison 6-5 in the 2014 baseball season opener for both teams at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Friday.

Travis Watkins got his second hit for the Pirates in their last turn at the plate and Garrett Brooks replaced him as a pinch runner. A sacrifice bunt by Kirk Morgan moved Brooks to second.

Drew Reynolds was hit by a pitch with one out before a throwing error on a ball hit to third by Zach Houchins allowed the winning run to score.

The unearned run got Ryan Williams the win. Williams, who is wearing Keith LeClair's No. 23, pitched 2 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits, an unearned run and struck out two without a walk.

Jeff Hoffman started for ECU and went 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits, four runs, three earned, with six strikeouts and two walks.

Reynolds and Houchins had hits in the sixth before transfer Ian Townsend homered to right field for a 4-3 Pirates lead. An RBI single by Watkins later in the sixth pushed ECU's lead to 5-3.

JMU added lone runs in the seventh and eighth to tie the score.

Dylan Brown homered for the Pirates in the second inning.

A crowd of 2,465 was on hand.

The teams are scheduled to play the second of a three-game series at 2 p.m. today.

PAGE UPDATED 02/15/14 06:24 AM.

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