GREENVILLE, N.C. — The top-seeded and No. 7-ranked ECU Pirates pulled away with a 10-3 win over the third-seeded Campbell Fighting Camels on Monday afternoon to force a winner-take-all game in the NCAA Tournament Greenville Regional.
The Fighting Camels out hit the Pirates, 12 to 11, but left 11 runners on base, to suffer their first loss since May 14, which was a 4-3 loss to ECU.
The two teams will play in a winner-take-all game tonight at 7 p.m. to decide the regional championship. The winning team will travel to Louisville, Ky., next weekend to face the Louisville Cardinals in a Super Regional.
Luis Gimenez went 4-for-5 with four singles for his second four-hit performance of 2019. Both Spencer Packard and Matthew Barefoot finished with multiple hits, going 3-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively. Packard collected a pair of doubles and a single, while Barefoot added a pair of base hits.
ECU's Bryant Packard had a 3-for-4 day at the plate, also driving in a trio of runs. Alec Burleson, who was also the winning pitcher, also collected three RBI with a 2-for-4 outing. Burleson went five innings on the mound, striking out five while allowing seven hits and three walks.
Campbell starter Kevin Westlake was saddled with the loss, scattering four earned runs on four hits through two innings of work.
In the top of the first, Packard led off the game with a single into left-center field. Westlake fielded a sac bunt by Turner Brown and made a throw to second base. Packard was originally called out, but, after review, the call was overturned. Another sac bunt moved Packard and Brown into scoring position for Jake Washer, who scored Packard on a sacrifice fly to center field.
In the bottom of the first, Barefoot drove the first pitch from Alec Burleson through the right side for a base hit before Luis Gimenez lined a one-out single into center field, bringing Packard to the plate. Packard flared a 0-1 pitch into left-center field for a two-run double, giving Campbell a 2-1 lead.
ECU tied the game at two apiece in the top of the second as Brady Lloyd led off with a walk, moved to second on a sac bunt, stole third and then scored on a Ryder Giles sacrifice fly. One batter later, Bryson Worrell singled through the left side and then came around to score on a two-out RBI double by Packard, giving ECU a one-run edge, 3-2.
Westlake gave up a single to the first batter in the top of third and then hit the next batter, which forced the Camels to make their first pitching change. Wyatt Tyson came in and retired Lloyd on strikes for the first out, but with the next batter in the box, Tyson committed a balk, moving the runners into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed the runner to score from third base, giving ECU a 4-2 lead.
Tyson issued a four-pitch walk to Packard to open the top of fourth. After Tyson threw two more balls to Brown, Logan Heintzman was called upon to face Brown with a 2-0 count. Brown laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Packard over to third base. Packard scored on an Alec Burleson RBI single through the left side.
A hit by pitch and a single loaded the bases, but Heintzman got the next batter, Lloyd, to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, keeping the deficit at three runs, 5-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Harris and Minnick drew one-out walks, bringing Hrica up, who lined a single to center field. Harris was thrown out at the plate on a throw from Packard; the ECU left fielder before Barefoot flew out to left field to end the threat.
ECU's lead ballooned to seven, 9-2, after a four-run top of the fifth that included a pair of two-run base hits.
Campbell failed to score on another scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth as Gimenez singled and Packard doubled with one away. Burleson struck out both Collin Wolf and Koby Collins to strand two more Camels.
Freshman righty Zach Adams appeared in the top of the sixth, and despite an error allowing the leadoff batter to reach, a flyout, caught stealing and a strikeout, kept ECU to its first scoreless frame.
ECU made its first pitching change in the bottom of the sixth, bringing in senior right-hander Zach Barnes. Harris led off with a single through the right side and then scored on Minnick's RBI double into right-center field, cutting ECU's lead to six, 9-3.
Adams stayed in to pitch the next two innings and dealt a scoreless seventh before allowing an earned run in the eighth, which gave ECU its 10-3 final decision.
The Fighting Camels and Pirates will play a winner-take-all game tonight at 7 p.m. with a Super Regional berth on the line. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.
