Liberty University
7-6
East Carolina
10-3
3-Run 6th Pushes No. 12 East Carolina Past Liberty
3/10/2023 10:48:06 PM | Baseball
The No. 12 East Carolina Pirates used a three-run sixth inning to defeat the Liberty Flames 7-2 in their series opener, Friday evening at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, East Carolina took advantage of four walks and a hit in the frame to score three runs to take a 5-2 lead.
Liberty catcher Gray Betts went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the contest. Flames shortstop Jake Lazzaro also had three hits and scored a run in the game.
The Flames drop to 7-6 on the season. East Carolina moves to 10-3.
Box Score HighlightsRecords: Liberty (7-6); East Carolina (10-3)
Location: Greenville, N.C. (Clark-LeClair Stadium)
WP: Trey Yesavage (2-0) | LP: Cole Garrett (1-1) | SV: Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman (2)
Scoring Summary2nd INNING – LIBERTY – Guy doubles, Lazzaro scores, 1-0
3rd INNING – ECU – Moylan flies out, Nowak scores, 1-1
4th INNING – ECU – Cunningham homers, 2-1
5th INNING – LIBERTY – Betts flies out, Guy scores, 2-2
6th INNING – ECU – Jinks-Cowart walks, Cunningham scores, 3-2
6th INNING – ECU – Moylan walks, Nowak scores, 4-2
6th INNING – ECU – Wilcoxen flies out, Starling scores, 5-2
7th INNING – ECU – Nowak doubles, Makarewicz scores, 6-2
8th INNING – ECU – Wilcoxen doubles, Moylan scores, 7-2
Notable Numbers- Liberty outhit Eastern Carolina, 10-9, in the contest. Neither team committed an error.
- Liberty left six men on base. East Carolina left 13.
- Center fielder Jaylen Guy had two doubles and an RBI and scored a run.
- Flames reliever Cole Garrett, the second of four Liberty pitchers, takes the loss. He gave up three runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked four.
- East Carolina starting pitcher Trey Yesavage picks up the win. He yielded two runs on six hits over six innings. He stuck out six and walked one.
- Pirates reliever Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman earned a save. He did not allow a run over the final three innings. He scattered four hits.
Turning PointAfter Guy doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gray Betts in the fifth to tie the contest, the Pirates took the lead for good in the sixth. Left fielder Cade Cunningham opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Designated hitter Luke Nowak and second baseman Jacob Starling then walked to load the bases. Right fielder Jacob Jinks-Cowart received the third straight base on balls, forcing in a run for a 3-2 advantage.
After Liberty went to the bullpen, first baseman Josh Moylan walked to make it 4-2 Pirates. Catcher Justin Wilcoxen followed with a fly ball to center field to plate the final run of the inning and give East Carolina a 5-2 lead.
Beyond the Box Score- Betts records his second three-hit game of the season and fifth multi-hit game of the year.
- Lazzaro picks up his third multi-hit game of the year in the contest.
- Liberty second baseman John Simmons walked in the game. The freshman has now reached base safely in a team-leading eight consecutive games.
Next UpLiberty and East Carolina will meet again in the middle game of their three-game series tomorrow at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Featured in Main Photo: Jaylen Guy
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: YESAVAGE, Trey (2-0)
L: Garrett, Cole (1-1)
S: LUNSFORD-SHENKMAN, W (2)
Batting:
2B: Lazzaro, Jake 1 ; Guy, Jaylen 2
RBI: Betts, Gray 1 ; Guy, Jaylen 1
SH: Simmons, John 1
SF: Betts, Gray 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lazzaro, Jake 1 ; Guy, Jaylen 1
HBP: Castillo, Victor 1
PO: Lazzaro, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: NOWAK, Luke 1 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; MOYLAN, Josh 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1
HR: CUNNINGHAM, C. 1
RBI: NOWAK, Luke 1 ; JENKINS-COWART, J. 1 ; MOYLAN, Josh 2 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 2 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 1
SH: NOWAK, Luke 1 ; JOHNSON, Ryley 2
SF: MOYLAN, Josh 1 ; WILCOXEN, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: NOWAK, Luke 2 ; STARLING, Jacob 1 ; MOYLAN, Josh 1 ; MAKAREWICZ, Alec 1 ; CUNNINGHAM, C. 2
