By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — East Carolina didn’t get off to its customary hot start, but the Pirates rallied for a 9-4 victory over the Rhode Island Rams.
Sunday’s win, coming in front of 2,407 fans at Clark-LeClair Stadium, gave the Pirates (13-4) a sweep over the Rams (5-8). It also extended ECU’s winning streak to 12 straight, the eighth longest in program history.
ECU’s record for consecutive wins is 19, which came in 2004. The Pirates have won 15 straight two times, 14 consecutive games twice and 13 in a row two times.
Brandon Henderson, who sat out Saturday’s game after getting injured in a collision during Friday’s series opener, led ECU’s 13-hit attack with three hits. The junior homered and drove in three runs to lead the offense.
ECU starter Justin Bristow (3-0) overcame some early struggles to notch his third win. He gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits, while striking out three and walking two in seven innings.
Bristow was forced to throw 31 pitches in the first inning as the Rams sent eight batters to the plate and scored three times. He walked the leadoff batter, Zoey Angulo, then plunked Mike O’Malley. Zach Zaneski’s single into left scored Angulo. After Shaun Hagey moved the runners across, Rob Denevey reached on an ECU error that allowed two more runners to score for a 3-0 lead.
Bristow settled down after the rocky start. The 6-4, 213-pound right-hander, who retired nine straight at one point, gave up just two hits the rest of the way.
Henderson slapped an RBI single in the bottom of the first to get ECU on the scoreboard.
Two innings later, Henderson tied the game 3-3 with a two-run blast off Rhode Island starter Nick Greenwood (2-2). With Harrison Eldridge on board, Henderson drilled his fifth home run of the season, a two-out shot into left, that knotted the game.
The Pirates took the lead in the fifth, putting up four runs and chasing Greenwood (seven runs, 10 hits, two strikeouts, six walks in 4 2/3 innings) in the process.
Corey Kemp led off the inning with a single and Kyle Roller followed with a double into left. Dustin Harrington reached on an infield single, which allowed Kemp to score to give ECU a 4-3 advantage. One out later, Jamie Ray punched an RBI single into right. Two batters later, Ryan Wood, who saw his 14-game hitting streak come to an end, reached on an error that allowed two more Pirates to score, increasing the lead to 7-3.
The Rams pulled within 7-4 in the seventh when O’Malley knocked in Kenny Burns, who had earlier reached on an error.
Drew Schieber’s two-run single in the eighth capped the scoring.
Josh Ruhlman, Daniel Holder and Bailey Daniels pitched two innings of shutout ball for the Pirates.
After a 6 p.m. home game Tuesday against the Elon Phoenix, the Pirates open Conference USA play Friday with a three-game series against Houston at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Rhode Island 300 000 100 - 4 5 1
East Carolina 102 040 02x - 9 13 2
WP: Justin Bristow (3-0); LP: Nick Greenwood (2-2)
Hitters: RI - Oliver Palmer 2-4, Mike O’Malley 1-4 (2B, RBI), Rob Denevey 1-4 (2B, RBI), Zach Zaneski 1-4 (RBI); ECU - Brandon Henderson 3-5 (HR, 3 RBI), Jamie Ray 2-3 (2B, RBI), Harrison Eldridge 2-3, Corey Kemp 2-4, Dustin Harrington 2-5 (RBI), Kyle Roller 1-3 (2B), Drew Schieber 1-5 (2 RBI).