Spring Break
ECU takes Greenville Regional in Comeback style
Pirates trail 6-0 early, before winning 10-9 in extras.
Michael Perry
Issue date: 6/3/09 Section: Sports
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Trailing the Gamecoks 9-6 in the bottom of the ninth frame, Devin Harris refused to go down quietly.
The humble, yet dangerous, seven spot hitter crushed a 0-1 slider over the left field wall into a sea of screaming Pirates fans to tie the Regional Championship game 9-9.
"I've hit homeruns, but I say by far that is the biggest I've ever hit," Harris said.
Harris would not finish there, however.
With one out in the tenth, designated hitter Kyle Roller connected on a standup double. Senior first baseman Brandon Henderson would be intentionally walked before shortstop Dustin Harrington flied out for the second out of the inning.
One out away from getting out of another jam against ECU, Sam Dyson sealed South Carolina's fate as Devin Harris lined one to the gap in left field to score Roller for the winning run and his fifth RBI of the night.
In contrast to the Pirates miraculous finish, they fell behind 6-0 early in the third. ECU chipped away at the South Carolina lead with persistent hitting and character filled pitching from the bullpen.
"Everybody understood that we were a little depleted coming into the game," Godwin said.
"I still felt that down 6-0 we were still in the game. They just pitched on heart and adrenaline."
Bailey Daniels, Seth Simmons and Mike Wright would combine for 6 2/3 innings, striking out nine batters and giving up three earned runs.
ECU's Ryan Wood connected with a two-run long ball in the bottom of the fifth inning to begin the scoring for the Pirates.
Pirate true freshmen Mike Wright earned his first career win in the contest.
To win the Regional, the ECU baseball team labored this past weekend, playing five games in three days, going 4-1 in the process, which included three straight wins to end the Regional.
"I'm very proud of our players and what they accomplished," ECU head coach Billy Godwin said. " To play five game in three days and come back and win three in a row was absolutely outstanding. I couldn't be any prouder of all these guys."
The Pirates (46-18) have now successfully hurdled their first obstacle towards the College World Series, becoming one of the 16 NCAA Regional Champions.
ECU's next step is the NCAA Chapel Hill Super Regional in which they will square off with North Carolina in a best of three series this weekend.
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