Pirate Arms Stifle Titan Bats in 6-1 Series Opener :: ECU pitching staff holds CSF to just 3 hits, while bats blast two bombs off Roemer

ECU pitching staff holds CSF to just 3 hits, while bats blast two bombs off Roemer

March 9, 2007

Greenville, NC - T.J. Hose and the Pirate pitching staff held the Titans to a season-low three hits as unranked East Carolina upset No. 7 Cal State Fullerton 6-1 Friday night in Game One of a three-game, non-conference series at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

With the win East Carolina wins their third straight and improves to 9-6 overall while the Titans drop to 12-6 on the year.

Hose (3-2) controlled the Titan offense, holding them to just three hits while striking out six to earn his third win of the year. The right hander faced just four batters over the minimum through seven innings, with the only real blemish coming from a Chris Jones home run to left field.

Clark Hardman and Joel Weeks were the only other Titans to pick up hits on the night.

Titan starter Wes Roemer fell to 3-3 surrendering six runs (four earned) on 10 hits over six innings of work. ECU jumped on the Titan righty out of the shoot as Harrison Eldridge poked a double down the right field line on the first pitch of the game then advanced to third on an errant throw by Roemer on a pick off attempt. With one out, Eldridge scored on a Brandon Henderson ground out.

The Pirates then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth as a pair of home runs by Ryan Trousley and Cory Kemp extended the East Carolina lead to 4-0.

Jones led off the fifth with a solo blast off Hose, but that would be as close as the Titans would get. Hose, Brett Butts and Shane Mathews went on to retire 15 of the last 16 batters the Titans would send up, allowing just a eighth inning Cory Jones walk above the minimum. Butts and Mathews each tallied a scoreless inning to ensure the win.

ECU would tack on a pair of insurance runs off Roemer in the bottom of the sixth, as Eldridge drove home a run with an RBI-single, then another came across on a botched throw by Roemer in a failed attempt to catch Eldridge stealing second with a runner at third.

The two teams will square off tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST with the Titans sending Jeff Kaplan (3-1) to the hill.