April 29, 2007

Final Stats

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Kyle Roller homered and drove in three runs to lead East Carolina to a 6-3 baseball victory over Southern Miss here at Clark-LeClair Stadium, Sunday afternoon, to complete the two team's three-game Conference USA series.

The Pirates (29-15 overall, 7-7 C-USA), which snapped a five-game losing streak to Southern Miss, recorded their lone victory during the weekend after the Golden Eagles (27-19, 8-10) won the first two games and captured their first series victory here in three tries with ECU.

Roller gave the Pirates the lead for good early with a second-inning, two-run home run to right field off of Golden Eagle starter David Clark. The home run was his fifth of the year. After a throwing error allowed Corey Kemp to reach base later in the frame, Jamie Ray - who finished the day by going 3-for-4 - tripled home Kemp to give the Pirates a 3-0 advantage.

ECU starter Josh Dowdy then limited Southern Miss to just four hits over seven innings with three strikeouts to capture the victory and improve to 2-1 on the season.

The Golden Eagles did get to Dowdy in the eighth as he surrendered a pair of runs. Jordan King, who led Southern Miss with two of their eight hits, singled to open the frame. After Chris Matesich came in to pinch run for King, Eddie Burger doubled to put runners at second and third. Matesich then scored via a wild pitch and Burger scored on a groundout by Brian Dozier.

Dozier, who also notched a pair of hits for the Golden Eagles, cut the gap into the ninth with his second RBI of the day with a double in the ninth, but the Golden Eagle rally could only tally the lone run.

The Pirates had added insurance runs in both the fifth and seventh innings to give them the cushion to hold on the in the contest. Kemp increased the advantage with an RBI double in the fifth, while Roller and Drew Schieber delivered run-scoring singles in the seventh.

Clark allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4 2/3 to suffer the loss and fall to 5-4.

Southern Miss returns to action, Friday, against C-USA foe Marshall, when they play the first of six straight home contests to end the home portion of the schedule. The Friday tilt is slated for 6:30 p.m., at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.