Box Score

ELON, N.C. -- A 10th inning wild pitch allowed the East Carolina Pirates to score the game-winning run in a 4-3 game against the Elon Phoenix on a wet Tuesday night.  The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Phoenix which fell to 12-6 on the season).  ECU improved to 12-4 on the year with the win.

East Carolina got a lead-off double from Trent Whitehead to start the game before the next two hitters were retired.  Zach Wright then gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead after his shot toward third glanced off the glove of a diving Seth Canipe for a double.

Elon manufactured the tying run in the bottom of the first.  Niko Fraser drew a one-out walk before stealing second and heading to third on an errant throw on the steal.  Fraser would race home to even the score at one when Alex Swim grounded out.

The Phoenix kept the pressure on in the second as Sebastian Gomez lined a double to right-center to begin the at bat with a double.  Following a balk, Gomez scored on a Ryan Kinsella single off the glove of a lunging Pirate third baseman.

Zach Wright knotted the game at two when he drove a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left-center for his fourth homer of the year to begin the fourth inning.  Chase McDonald followed with a double off the base of the wall in right.  With a runner on third with one out, Chris Gosik grounded a ball to short for out number two, but McDonald scored on the play to put the Pirates back on top, 3-2.

Elon had a great opportunity to at least tie the game in the bottom of the seventh as Canipe tripled down the right field line.  The Phoenix would not be able to score, however, as Kevin Brandt retired the next three hitters on a ground out and two strike outs.

Fraser reached on an infield single to begin the bottom of the eighth for the Phoenix.  With one out, Fraser stole second and then, on a walk to Neal Pritchard, Fraser took off for third and the throw from the Pirate catcher sailed down the left field line allowing Fraser to score to tie the game at three.

With one down in the top of the 10th, Whitehead hit his second double of the game, this one off the wall in center.  After a wild pitch sent Whitehead to third, another wild pitch let him score the go-ahead run as ECU took a 4-3 lead.

After the first two hitters of the bottom of the 10th were retired, Gomez drew a walk.  Pinch-hitter Garrett Koster's infield single gave the Phoenix life and put the tying run in scoring position with Canipe stepping to the plate.  Canipe swung at the first pitch he saw and the sent a hard ground ball to third that was snared and fired to second to end the game on the force out.

Mitch Conner (1-1) took the loss after he gave up one run on three hits in 1.2 innings.  He also fanned three.  Starter Thomas Girdwood had a solid outing, allowing three runs on five hits in 5.2 innings.  Girdwood struck out a career-best five hitters.

Seth Simmons (2-0) picked up the win after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings out of the pen.  Jake Harris claimed his second save of the year after walking one and giving up one hit, but not allowing a run in the 10th.

Fraser tallied two of Elon's six hits on the night while Swim and Kinsella collected the team's two RBI.

Wright ended the game 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI for the Pirates.

Elon will get back to Southern Conference action this weekend as the Phoenix visits Western Carolina for a three-game series beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon.