GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 9 East Carolina made quick work of Cincinnati Saturday afternoon, using a complete-game shutout by senior RHP Carter Spivey to post a 10-0 seven-inning victory at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates (27-8, 6-2 AAC) clinched their eighth weekend series of the season and kept pace with Houston for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Bearcats (15-21, 3-5 AAC) failed to score for the first time this campaign.

The crisp two-hour game marked the second run-rule win of league play for ECU as the Pirates have won seven in a row and five-straight AAC contests.

Spivey (4-1) was extremely efficient in his longest outing of the season, requiring just 83 pitches to complete the shutout. He struck out three batters and scattered four hits with no walks in his third quality start of 2023. Chase Hopewell (1-4) surrendered seven runs on nine hits in just four innings in the losing effort.

Lane Hoover and Joey Berini sparked East Carolina’s 14-hit outburst with three base knocks each. Hoover added a pair of runs scored while Berini finished with two RBI for good measure. Josh Moylan extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-for-4 performance that included a run scored and three RBI as well as his seventh home run of the season.

Hoover got things moving offensively in the home half of the first inning, singling to left field and swiping second on a late throw back into the infield. Cunningham then laced a double down the right field line that plated Hoover easily from second base for a 1-0 Pirate advantage. Wilcoxen tacked a pair onto the lead in the second with a two-run blast to right center.

With two away in the bottom of the fourth, Makarewicz ripped a first-pitch single through the right side and scored when Berini snuck a double inside the left field line to leave the Pirates in front by four. ECU was far from done, coming right back in the fifth frame and adding three more via a Moylan long ball over the right field wall. ­

A Hoover RBI single kept things moving in the bottom of the sixth before the Pirates closed things out with two in the seventh. Starling led off the inning with a solo shot to left and pinch hitter Dixon Williams worked a walk before advancing to second on a Makarewicz base knock to center. Berini then needed just one pitch to deliver the walkoff hit, singling to left to plate Williams.

Postgame Notes Graphic
  • East Carolina continued its dominant run at Clark-LeClair Stadium, moving to 23-2 inside the friendly confines.
  • The Pirates were an impressive 5-for-12 (.417) with runners in scoring position.
  • Five of ECU’s seven leadoff hitters reached base safely.
  • Spivey registered East Carolina’s second complete-game shutout of the season following Josh Grosz’ eight-inning blanking of George Mason back on March 26.
  • Berini notched three hits in a game for the first time in his career.

Up Next: East Carolina looks to complete the series sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.