By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — Home, sweet home?
Maybe not.
East Carolina started a 21-game homestand Wednesday with a rather lackluster showing. Wasting a solid pitching performance by Josh Dowdy, the Pirates dropped their fourth straight, falling to the previously winless Campbell Camels 2-0 in front of 2,602 fans at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Pirates (2-5), who failed to score despite loading the bases twice, suffered their first shutout since April 7, 2006, an 8-0 loss at UCF.
Dowdy (0-1), who saw his first action of the season, suffered the loss despite a solid outing. The sophomore right-hander went a career-best 6 2/3 innings, allowing one runs on three hits. Dowdy struck out a pair and walked two.
Campbell (1-5) threw six pitchers at the Pirates. Reliever Trevor Smith (1-0), who allowed one hit in two innings, got the victory.
Justin Lilly started, while Matt Martinez, Carlton Floyd, Brandon Scott and Ryan Hamme also saw time on the mound. Hamme pitched the ninth to record his first win of the season.
The Camels scored the only run they would need in the third. Rob Lyerly led off with a single into right and eventually scored on Zach Johnson’s two-out, infield single.
ECU threatened in the fifth. Ryan Tousley slapped a one-out single up the middle, while David Forbes and Ryan Wood drew two-out walks to juice the base paths. However, Smith struck out ECU’s top hitter, Harrison Eldridge, on three pitches to end the inning.
The Pirates loaded the bases again in the sixth, but the Camels kept them off the scoreboard once again. After Dale Mollenhauer led off with a sharp single into right, Jake Dean drew a one-out walk. Corey Kemp’s infield single loaded the bases against Floyd. Ryan Tousley bounced into a fielder’s choice as Mollenhauer was forced out at home. Jamie Ray then bounced harmlessly to short to end the threat.
Hamme gave the Camels a little insurance, blasting a solo shot in the ninth off reliever Jason Neitz (one run on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings).
The Pirates will have to shake off the loss as they host the ECU Invitational this weekend. ECU plays St. John’s on Friday at 5 p.m., Washington on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Duke on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Godwin said that starting pitcher Jeff Ostrander (1-0) may be available to pitch this weekend.