East Carolina Downs Elon Baseball in Series Opener

ELON, N.C. – Despite scoring the most runs that East Carolina starting pitcher Evan Kruczynski had allowed all season, the Elon baseball team came out on the wrong end of a 10-3 decision in game one of a three-game series at Latham Park on Friday, March 13.

Kruczynski (3-1) had allowed just three runs and one earned run all season before Elon (8-7) scored three runs (two earned) off of him in seven innings on Friday.

ECU (11-6) got a solo homer from Charlie Yorgen in the top of the first to start the scoring before increasing the lead to 2-0 in the second.

Elon would tie it up over its next two at bats. Joey Tomko led off the last of the second with a triple down the right field line and then scored on a Chris King ground out. With runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the third, King delivered again with a single up the middle that knotted the game at two.

After the Pirates made it a 3-2 game in the fourth, ECU gained some breathing room in the fourth, scoring four times. The first two came in on a Bryce Harman triple and the last two on a Luke Lowery homer to left-center.

Matt Harris (2-1) took the loss after allowing seven runs on 10 hits in six innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out four Pirate hitters.

Tomko posted his first three-hit game of the season, and fourth of his career, as he recorded two singles to go along with the triple. King went 2-for-4 and increased his RBI total to a team-high 23.

The same two teams will meet again on Saturday. The game time for that contest has been changed to 6 p.m.