Championship Central
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Catcher Jake Washer went 3-for-4 with two home runs and Jake Agnos worked seven strong innings on the mound as top-seeded ECU took a 13-2 win against No. 5-seeded Houston Wednesday afternoon in an elimination game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve at Spectrum Field.
ECU (43-14) stays alive in the championship and advances to a Friday matchup against either UConn or Wichita State at 3 p.m. ET. Houston (32-24) was eliminated with its second loss in the tournament.
Washer paced an ECU lineup that registered 15 hits, two doubles and three home runs against the Cougars. Ten players had at least one hit for the Pirates.
Agnos, the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, improved to 10-2 with his quality start Wednesday. He scattered four hits and allowed one run with seven strikeouts and four walks, He entered the game with a streak of 31.0 consecutive scoreless innings and extended that run to 32.2 innings before allowing a single run in the second inning.
After the teams exchanged runs in the first two innings, the Pirates took the lead for good in the top of third on back-to-back home runs by Alec Burleson and Washer. Burleson took a 2-2 pitch over the rightfield fence with Bryant Packard aboard for a two-run shot, while Washer followed two pitches later with a deep solo shot to right-center, giving ECU a 4-1 advantage.
ECU broke it open with five runs in the top of the sixth inning as Connor Norby drew a bases-loaded walk and Ryder Giles stroked a two-run double through the right side. Norby came in to score on a wild pitch and Giles would come home on the back end of a double play, giving the Pirates a 9-1 advantage.
Washer’s second home run of the game - and his third in two tournament games - gave the Pirates a 10-1 lead in the seventh inning.
Designated hitter Thomas Francisco went 3-for-3, while Giles was 2-for-5 with three RBIs for the Pirates. Houston was led by Jared Triolo, who went 2-for-3. Clay Aguilar fell to 6-4 after allowing four runs and six hits in 3.2 innings.
2019 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship
Spectrum Field · Clearwater, Fla.
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1: No. 4 UConn 4, No. 5 Houston 3
Game 2: No. 8 Wichita State 6, No. 1 ECU 2
Game 3: No. 2 Cincinnati 11, No. 7 Memphis 6
Game 4: No. 3 Tulane 5, No. 6 UCF 2
Wednesday, May 22 | American Digital Network
Game 5: ECU 13, Houston 2 (Houston eliminated)
Game 6: Memphis vs. UCF | 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 23 | American Digital Network
Game 7: UConn vs. Wichita State | 3 p.m. ET
Game 8: Cincinnati vs. Tulane | 47 minutes following Game 7
Friday, May 24 | American Digital Network
Game 9: Loser of Game 7 vs. ECU | 3 p.m. ET
Game 10: Loser of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 6 | 47 minutes following Game 9
Saturday, May 25 | American Digital Network
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 | 10 a.m. ET
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 47 minutes following Game 11
Game 13: Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 **if necessary | TBD
Game 14: Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 **if necessary | TBD
Sunday, May 26 | Championship | ESPNews
Game 15: Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner | Noon ET