Wichita State lost to East Carolina 7-1 in the opening game of their baseball series on April 17 at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.
The result is significant for both teams as they continue their conference schedules, with Wichita State now holding a record of 23-16 overall and 7-6 in conference play, while East Carolina improves to 23-15-1 overall and 8-5 in the conference.
Wichita State started strong with Nolan Ganter delivering a two-out RBI single in the first inning after Owen Washburn walked and Jack Quick was hit by a pitch. However, East Carolina responded quickly, tying the game at one run apiece with a two-out RBI single from Walker Barron in the second inning. The Pirates then took control when Jack Herring hit a two-run home run off reliever Caleb Reed in the fifth inning, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. ECU added another run in the sixth and three more runs in the eighth inning, capitalizing on four errors committed by Wichita State.
East Carolina’s bullpen proved effective as Gavin Marley, Ethan Rose, and Joseph Webb combined for nearly eight scoreless innings with eleven strikeouts and just one walk. Wichita State starter Matthew Cuccias took his second loss of the season after allowing two runs over four innings. Offensively for Wichita State, Ganter led with three hits out of five total singles for his team.
The series between Wichita State and East Carolina will continue Saturday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
