Tigers Even Series with East Carolina

Saturday, May 13

Greenville, NC

3:00 PM

University of Memphis

27-24, 7-13

East Carolina

26-25, 5-15

Memphis

East Carolina

Photo by: Savanna Elkins

May 13, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Hathcock shines in second start of the season

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Memphis scored five runs in the third and Colton Hathcock threw seven shutout innings in his return to the weekend rotation to lead the Tigers to a 7-3 win over East Carolina Saturday at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Tigers (27-24, 7-13 AAC) will try to win the series over the Pirates (26-26, 5-15 AAC) on Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT).

Hathcock, making just his second start of the season, pitched a season-high seven scoreless innings with just six hits and three walks allowed. The junior right-hander struck out three batters to improve his record to 3-3 this season.

Memphis jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the third. The Tigers started the inning off with some small ball to score the first few runs before a big blast turned it into a big inning.

Jason Santana reached base after being hit by a pitch to start the inning before the next three batters all bunted safely to grab the lead. Colton Neel bunted and after an errant throw the Tigers had runners on the corners with nobody out.

Zach Schritenthal then drove in Santana with a squeeze bunt and reached base safely after the Pirates threw home. Tyler Webb then drove in Neel when he put a sacrifice bunt down and reached on an errant throw.

Chris Carrier made it a big inning with his 12^th home run of the season, a three-run blast, to put Memphis ahead 5-0 over East Carolina.

The senior right fielder was able to help keep that five-run lead intact in the next half inning when he made an amazing diving catch in right-center field that would have likely scored two runs.

The Tigers added to the lead in the next inning, scoring two more runs to go up 7-0. Santana and Webb both walked before Trent Turner singled to drive them both in.

Carrier was back at it with the defensive prowess in the bottom of the fifth inning. ECU second baseman Charlie Yorgen hit a ball deep to right field and Carrier leaped at the wall to rob a home run and keep the shutout intact.

ECU finally got on the board with three runs in the eighth inning off reliever Connor Alexander. The incredible defense continued though as Neel made a great catch slamming against the wall in left field to end the eighth inning.

Webb finished with a three-hit day going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Carrier was 1-for-3 with three RBI. Turner finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, Santana was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Neel was 2-for-3.

Blake Bennett pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts to finish off the win.