Memphis won its first conference series at home with back-to-back wins over East Carolina. The Tigers were shut out in the first game, but they rallied to win their first series against the Pirates since 2015.
With the series win, Matt Riser’s team improves to 18-28 on the season and 10-11 in conference play with two weeks remaining in the season. If the season ended today, the Tigers would be the seventh seed in the American Conference tournament.
Only the top eight teams make the conference tournament, and Memphis is currently in a three-way tie with Wichita State and Florida Atlantic for fifth place. The tournament starts on May 20, and the Tigers have two conference series remaining in the regular season.
Game 1: ECU 12, Memphis 0 (8)
Memphis couldn’t get anything going Friday night in the series opener, and they finished the game with only four hits. The Tigers sent Will Howell to the mound, but he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits and two walks in 2.1 innings.
The Pirates scored six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back. They added a run in the third, a run in the fifth and four runs in the eighth inning to complete the run-rule.
Memphis stranded runners in three different innings, but they never recorded more than one hit in the same inning.
Game 2: ECU 3, Memphis 5
After losing the series opener 12-0 on Friday, Memphis picked up a 5-3 win Saturday afternoon. The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings, but they let the Pirates score three runs on a hit, two walks and two errors.
Riser's team rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring three runs, to regain the lead. Riser turned to the bullpen, and Caden Robinson and Carson Fair combined to throw three scoreless innings to close out the game.
David Case picked up the win after allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks. He added six strikeouts in six innings. Fair recorded the save, his ninth on the season, after 1.1 hitless innings.
Game 3: ECU 4, Memphis 9
Riser turned to right-handed pitcher Seth Garner for the rubber match, but the Tigers found themselves in an early hole. The first East Carolina batter reached on a throwing error, and two batters later, center fielder Davin Whitaker drove him in with an RBI single.
The Pirates struggled to get much going after that, and they combined for three hits over the next six innings. Garner picked up the win after allowing no earned runs on four hits and two walks.
He struck out six batters in four innings of work.
Logan Rushing took over in the fifth inning and gave up only one hit in three innings. Davis Oswalt entered the game in the eighth inning and gave up three hits and three runs, none earned, to close out the game.
The Tigers got on the board in the third inning when Trae Cassidy hit an RBI single, scoring Shane Cox. Freddy Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the next at-bat to give Memphis a 3-1 lead.
Riser’s team added two more runs in the fourth inning, and Cox broke the game open with a three-run shot in the fifth.
The Pirates got a runner on in the first at-bat of the ninth inning, but the Tigers were able to pick up back-to-back outs with the next two hitters. Cox had a fielding error trying to end the game, and the Pirates capitalized, scoring three runs, but Oswalt was able to get out of the inning with a flout to end the game.