ECU gets offensive, whips up on Albany

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 16, 2006 2:16 AM

• Print
• Email

GREENVILLE -- Jake Smith's two-out bases clearing double in the fourth inning put East Carolina ahead for good as the Pirates defeated Albany 16-5 Friday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Smith was one of six Pirates (23-13) to collect multiple hits going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. Jamie Ray (3-for-5) and Jay Mattox (3-for-3) led the team in hits, while Adam Witter joined Smith with three RBIs. Freshman Ryan Wood extended his current hit streak to 10 games with a 2-for-6 performance from the plate. Mattox also swiped three bases on the night and now leads the team with 12.

Kevin Rhodes picked up his second win of the season after holding Albany (8-18) scoreless in 41/3 innings of relief pitching. C.B. Aycock graduate Dustin Sasser got the start for the Pirates, working 42/3 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits with three strike outs.

Steve Wyland and Sean Donovan each had two hits for Albany, while Tom Hill and Steve Sayre belted home runs.

Tony Kirbis fell to 2-2 on the season after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in 42/3 innings. Alexander Beaulieu, Cory Warrings and Mathew Herrick combined to pitch the final 31/3 innings and allowing eight runs on ten hits.

Donovan plated the games first run in the top of the second with single to left field that scored Wyland to put Albany up 1-0.

In the bottom of the third, Witter's bloop single to right field put the Pirates up 2-1 scoring Harrison Eldridge and Smith.

Albany regained the lead in the fourth frame when Sayre belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, for a 3-2 lead.

ECU regained the lead, 6-3, for good in the bottom of the fourth on Smith's three-run double. Drew Schieber got the scoring going with his lone hit of the game that scored Ray from third.

Hill pulled the Great Danes within one, 6-5, in the top of the fifth with his team-leading six homer of the season to left field off Sasser.

ECU would blow the game wide open in the next three innings scoring two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and seven in eighth for a 16-5 final.

North Carolina 3, Virginia Tech 1

CHAPEL HILL -- Jay Cox went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and starter Robert Woodard allowed just one run over seven innings to lift North Carolina past Virginia Tech 3-1 Saturday.

Woodard (4-1) had seven strikeouts and gave up nine hits and no walks for the Tar Heels (30-7, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). He has won 15 of his last 16 decisions since 2004.

Jonathan Hovis pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Andrew Carignan put two on in the ninth before getting the final out on a fly ball to the warning track to get his ninth save of the season.

Chad Flack and Josh Horton added two hits each for North Carolina, which scored all its runs in the first inning. Sean O'Brien and Matt Foley led Virginia Tech (14-21, 2-15) with three hits apiece.

Wake Forest 10, Duke 2

DURHAM -- Evan Ocheltree hit a pair of two-run home runs to lead Wake Forest to a 10-2 win over Duke on Saturday.

Ocheltree hit home runs in the first and third innings and finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Allan Dykstra added another two-run homer in the fourth inning to give Wake Forest (27-12, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) an 8-0 lead.

The Demon Deacons (12-28, 4-13) scored in the sixth inning after Brett Bartles reached on an error. He moved into scoring position on a Nate Freiman single, then scored on a ground-rule double by Javier Socorro. Freiman had an RBI single in the seventh for Duke's other score.

Wake Forest starter Eric Niesen (3-0) pitched six innings and did not allow an earned run to pick up the win. Duke starter Tony Bajoczky (1-8) gave up eight runs on eight hits over four innings for the loss.

FRIDAY

North Carolina 9, Virginia Tech 4

CHAPEL HILL -- Andrew Miller pitched eight innings and remained unbeaten to help North Carolina beat Virginia Tech 9-4. Miller allowed four unearned runs on five hits for the Tar Heels, while Tim Federowicz drove in three runs. Benji Johnson added three hits for North Carolina, which won despite committing three errors.

The Tar Heels scored five times in the eighth to break open a tight game and give Miller (8-0) the win.

Wake Forest 10, Duke 9

DURHAM -- Evan Ocheltree, Eric Williams and Dustin Hood each had three hits to lead Wake Forest past Duke 10-9. Ocheltree also hit a home run to tie the game in the seventh inning for the Demon Deacons, who rallied from a 6-4 deficit with six straight runs. Andy Goff added a two-run double in the ninth that helped the Wake Forest lead hold up against a late rally by the Blue Devils.

Antonelli's RBI double put the Demon Deacons ahead to stay 7-6 in the eighth, and Hood followed with an RBI single.