ECU Tops USF 9–4 to Open AAC Tournament

Burress, Collins Go Deep as Pirates Advance in Clearwater

East Carolina opened the American Athletic Conference Tournament with a convincing win late Tuesday night, riding a pair of home runs and a 15-hit offensive explosion to knock off South Florida 9–4 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater.

Freshman Braden Burress set the tone with a leadoff single on the first pitch of the game and capped his night with a home run, finishing 4-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

"It's just a tone-setter," Burress said. "The guys see me trusting my game and the other guys behind me get going. Swinging at the first pitch has always been one of my favorite things to do, but setting the tone early is very important."

With the win, ECU improves to 30–25 on the season and moves on in the winner’s bracket.

Offensive Onslaught Sets the Tone

Burress wasn’t alone in his breakout performance.

John Collins crushed a two-run homer as part of a 2-for-4 day, while Austin Irby went 3-for-5 with a run scored. Ryley Johnson opened the scoring with a two-run double in the second inning and finished 2-for-5. Colby Wallace, Austin Peltier, and Will Barron each added a hit.

Eight of ECU’s nine starters recorded at least one hit, and the Pirates scored in five different innings including three in the second and four more in the fourth.

Four-Armed Effort on the Mound

Ethan Norby got the start and struck out seven over 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Brad Pruett entered in relief but faced just two batters before handing the ball off.

Ethan Young then delivered a crucial stretch out of the bullpen, tossing 3.1 innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four.

Despite battling through a blister on his pitching hand, Young held firm and kept USF from mounting any serious rally.

"Young was special for sure," head coach Cliff Godwin said. "He got a blister there at the end. People were yelling at us, saying we were taking too long. We’re trying to figure out if he’d be able to throw a pitch. He just ripped the blister off his finger. So we’ll need to get that thing healed up so he can pitch later this week."

Jake Hunter finished things off with a scoreless 1.1-inning save, striking out two of the four batters he faced on just 10 pitches.

What’s Next

With the win, ECU will gettoday off before returning to action Thursday afternoon against second-seeded Charlotte in the AAC Tournament winner’s bracket game.

The Pirates are now two wins away from a spot in the AAC title game and are playing some of their most complete baseball of the season.