April 13, 2008

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Marshall University starter Dan Straily hurled six scoreless innings in a seven-inning start and fanned four batters, but catcher Corey Kemp drilled a walk-off home run in the ninth to lift No. 28 East Carolina to a 5-3 victory and series sweep of the Thundering Herd in Sunday afternoon's Conference USA baseball game at Lewis Field at Clark LeClair Stadium.

With the loss, Marshall falls to 14-19-1 overall, and 4-7-1 in conference action. East Carolina improves to 26-9 on the season, and 8-4 in C-USA. Pirates' reliever Bailey Daniels pitched the ninth inning and surrendered a single, but did not allow the Herd to plate a run heading into the bottom half of the inning.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, East Carolina center fielder Harrison Eldridge smoked a one-out triple down the right field line off Herd reliever Arik Sikula. Second baseman Ryan Wood then poked an RBI single up the middle to plate the tying run. After a groundout moved Wood to second and a passed ball sent him to third, Kemp launched a 1-2 pitch to deep left field for a walk-off home run.

Daniels picks up his first win of the season, while Sikula (1-3) suffers the loss for the Herd.

Shortstop Adam Yeager got things going for the Herd in the top of the first with a lead off single to left field. Yeager then stole two bases before a sacrifice fly off the bat of center fielder Nate Lape sent Yeager home to give Marshall a 1-0 lead right off the bat.

Straily fired two perfect innings before a pair of singles and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third. Left fielder Stephen Batts singled in the tying run on a tough infield hit before Straily tossed a strikeout to end the inning and leave the bases juiced.

After the Herd turned a text-book double play for the first two outs in the last of the fourth, Straily again found himself in a jam with runners on each base. The sophomore hurler then forced an inning-ending groundout to second base to preserve the 1-1 deadlock.

Marshall second baseman Kenny Socorro broke the stalemate in the top of the fifth when he laced a one-out single to center field driving in left fielder Jeff Rowley from second. Yeager followed that with his second hit of the game, a base knock up the middle sending, Socorro to third. Yeager then stole second (his third swipe of the game) before a free pass to first baseman Josh Valle loaded the bases. Pirates' starter Justin Bristow struck out the next batter before right fielder Kurt Lipton singled down the first base line, scoring Socorro to push the score to 3-1. Yeager tried to score on the play but was thrown out at home.

The Pirates looked to have something going in the bottom of the sixth when first baseman Brandon Henderson doubled down the left field line Henderson was then thrown out at third on a heads-up play by Yeager to get the lead runner on a fielder's choice by Jamie Ray. Straily then retired the next two batters to end the threat.

The Herd posted a two-out rally in the seventh when Lape doubled down the left field line and Lipton intentionally walked. Pirates' reliever Seth Simmons came on and hurled a strikeout to end the stanza.

Marshall reliever Andrew Hancock came on in relief of Straily in the eighth inning and gave up a one-out home run over the right field wall to designated hitter Kyle Roller, which narrowed the gap to 3-2. After a groundout and a single to right field, Hancock delivered a strikeout to end the inning.

Herd first baseman Josh Valle extended his hitting streak to six games with a ninth-single, while Lape and Gomez each hit safely for the fifth consecutive game.

Marshall returns to non-conference action Tuesday at Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.