GREENVILLE, N.C. – Long Beach State made an early lead stand up Saturday evening, holding on for a narrow 3-2 win over No. 9 East Carolina on the second day of the LeClair Classic at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates (6-3) and Dirtbags (6-3) combined to leave 17 runners on base and neither side scored after the fifth inning.

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart posted a pair of hits while Jacob Starling accounted for ECU’s only RBI of the contest. Rocco Peppi collected a game-high three hits with two doubles and an RBI.

Sky Wells (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless frames with two walks and a strikeout. Kellan Montgomery nailed down his first save of the campaign, going the final three innings without surrendering a run. Carter Spivey (0-1) was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts.

Long Beach State got its leadoff runner to second in the first inning thanks to a throwing error before scoring the game’s first run via a Peppi RBI double to left. The Dirtbags then added single tallies in the third and fifth to pull ahead 3-0.

Alec Makarewicz sparked a Pirate rally in the home half of the fifth, drawing a four-pitch leadoff walk, and moved to second on a Josh Moylan single to left. Joey Berini then beat out a throw to first for an infield single that loaded the bases with no outs. Starling kept the line moving by drawing a free pass that plated Moylan and Berini later crossed home on a wild pitch to slice the East Carolina deficit to 3-2.

Zach Root did a tremendous job keeping the visitors off the board in the final few frames, but the Pirates could not push across the tying run despite some late opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings.

Postgame Notes Graphic
  • ECU and Long Beach State met for the first time on the diamond.
  • The Pirates fell to 5-1 at Clark-LeClair Stadium in 2023.
  • East Carolina is still 8-1 in its last nine games in the LeClair Classic.
  • ECU was just 2-for-15 (.133) with runners on base.
  • Nowak and Jenkins-Cowart have notched at least one hit in eight of nine contests this season. 

Up Next: East Carolina closes the LeClair Classic Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. when it takes on Georgetown.