Kuchmaner pitches No. 11 ECU Baseball past Tulane, 8-2

Jake Kuchmaner allowed two runs over 8.1 innings, while Seth Caddell and Bryant Packard each registered three hit as No. 11 ECU clinched an American Athletic Conference series win over Tulane, 8-2, Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 33-10 on the season and 13-1 in league play, while extending their current win streak to eight games and its home streak to 14 contests. The Green Wave drops to 26-16 on the year and 8-5 in conference action.

For the second-straight game, ECU wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard as it plated a pair of runs in the first inning taking 2-0 lead. Packard extended his on-base streak to 22 games leading off the contest with a single through the right side. After a Lane Hoover’s sac bunt moved him into scoring position, Alec Burleson singled up the middle plating the Pirates first run. Turner Brown followed with a double down the right field line pushing across Burleson for the early advantage.

Kuchmaner (4-1) allowed two runs (both earned) on six hits while walking a pair and fanning six. The lefty fanned at least one batter in five frames and tallied a pair in the eighth inning. The outing marked the third time this season he pitched eight-plus innings (others: 8.2 at Ole Miss, 9.0 at Maryland). Sam Lanier worked two-thirds of an inning allowing one hit to secure the series win for the Pirates.

Keagan Gillies (2-2) was touched for five runs (all earned) on seven hits with one punch out in 1.1 inning. Justin Campbell worked a career-high five frames with a personal-best six strikeouts where he gave up just one run (earned) on two hits to go along with four walks. Connor Pellerin surrendered two runs (both earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and one strikeout in his 1.2 innings of relief.

ECU continued to throw up runs in the second inning plating three on four hits to extend its lead to 5-0. Caddell doubled to start the frame and took second on Brady Lloyd’s sac bunt. Ryder Giles reached on an RBI fielder’s choice scoring Caddell. Packard followed with a single to left field and Hoover’s RBI base hit through the right side pushed across Giles and Spencer Brickhouse’s RBI ground out to third scored Packard.

Packard plated the Pirates sixth run of the afternoon in the third when he was hit by a Campbell pitch with the bases loaded that scored Brown extending the lead to 6-0.

The Green Wave scored their first run of the series in the fourth frame pulling within five, 6-1. Cody Hoese doubled for the second time in the contest to get the inning underway. Hudson Haskin followed with an infield single moving Hoese to third before he scored on a Frankie Niemann’s double play ball to short.

Hoover and Brickhouse’s sac flies in the eight pushed the Pirates lead to seven, 8-1. Tulane got a late run of its own in the ninth on Jonathon Artigues’ RBI single.

ECU pounded out 11 hits pushing its record to 21-0 when reaching the double-digit mark. Caddell (double, two singles) and Packard (three singles) led the way with three apiece. Giles tallied two base knocks and now has five multi-hit games on the season. Brickhouse drive in a pair of runs for his team-leading 13th multi-RBI game of the year and has four on the weekend.

Hoese (three) and Artigues (two) combined for five of the Green Waves seven hits in the game.

ECU will go for its fourth league sweep of the season when the two clubs meet Sunday, April 28 at 12 noon (ET).