Tigers Take Series with 4-2 Win at ECU

Sunday, March 29

Greenville, N.C.

12:00 PM

University of Memphis

17-6, 2-1

East Carolina

17-12, 1-2

Memphis

East Carolina

Mar 29, 2015 | Baseball

Box Score

March 29, 2015

Final Stats

Memphis 4, East Carolina 2 Box Score 

Memphis leadoff batter Darien Tubbs legged out an inside-the-park, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning Sunday as the Tigers beat East Carolina 4-2 and open American Athletic Conference play with a series win.

Memphis (17-6, 2-1) has now won 13 of its last 15 heading into a Tuesday night game against Ole Miss at AutoZone Park. Game time Tuesday is 6:30 p.m. The Tigers' series win was a first at East Carolina and marked the team's first conference series win since May, 2013. ECU is now 17-12 and 1-2.

Tubbs' first career home run was part of a four-run seventh inning for the Tigers, who erased a 2-0 ECU lead.

Carter White led off the seventh with a bunt single. Jake Overbey reached on a one-out fielding error and the Tigers loaded the bases when Chris Carrier was hit by a pitch. The play also chased ECU starter David Lucroy who had gave up four hits while strucking out nine and walking two in 6.1 innings of work.

Zach Schritenthal hit into a fielder's choice with White being forced out at home for the second out of the seventh inning. With Darien Tubbs at the plate, a wild pitch would score Overbey for the Tigers' first run and move up two runners into scoring position. Tubbs would take the next offering to the depths of Clark-LeClair Stadium for the three-run play that gave the Tigers a 4-2 advantage.

Memphis reliever Blake Myers, who entered the game in the sixth, began the seventh by striking out Charlie Yorgen before Hunter Allen doubled a 3-2 pitch down the left field line. The Tigers would go back to the bullpen and reliever Craig Caufield who got pinch hitter Parker Lamm to fly out. And after Allen advanced to third on a wild pitch, Caufield struck out two-hole hitter Reid Love to end the bottom of the seventh.

The Tigers would strand runners at second and third in the top half of the eighth while Caufield worked a quick inning getting a grounder sandwiched by a pair of strikeouts including Bryce Harman to go down swinging on the seventh pitch of an at bat.

Caufield started the ninth inning and after a full-count walk issued to Eric Tyler, got Kirk Morgan to strikeout before Yorgen reached on a fielder's choice. Caufield would then walk Allen to put runners on first and second. Memphis then brought in closer Nolan Blackwood to face pinch hitter Bailey Sugg who grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

Myers was credited with the win, his second decision of the weekend series. He improved to 2-0 on the year. Blackwood earned his second save of the series and for the year has nine saves in as many appearances. Lucroy suffered the loss to fall to 2-1.