East Carolina and Wichita State picked up doubleheader sweeps, while UCF and Cincinnati split in American Athletic Conference baseball action on Friday, April 9.

Friday, April 9
East Carolina 12, Memphis 2 (Game 1 - 8 innings) - Box Score
East Carolina 5, Memphis 3 (Game 2) - Box Score
UCF 8, Cincinnati 6 (Game 1) - Box Score
Cincinnati 2, UCF 1 (Game 2) - Box Score
Wichita State 10, Houston 2 (Game 1) - Box Score
Wichita State 7, Houston 1 (Game 2) - Box Score

East Carolina 12, Memphis 2 (Game 1 - 8 innings) - Box Score
East Carolina 5, Memphis 3 (Game 2) - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Ninth-ranked East Carolina recorded 12 hits getting multiple base knocks from four Pirates including a three-run home run from Bryson Worrell to help complete a doubleheader sweep of Memphis, 5-3, Friday evening at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium in American Athletic Conference action. With the win the Pirates improved to 24-5 on the season and 6-0 in league play, while the Tigers dropped to 11-17 overall and 1-5.
 
Connor Norby scored the game's first run when he crossed home in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. After leading off with a single to center, he moved to second on a ground out and third on Thomas Francisco's infield single. When Francisco tried to steal second, Norby delayed a bit before darting home scoring easily.
 
Matt Bridges (3-0) earned the win tossing 1.1 scoreless frames in relief where he struck out two and allowed a hit. C.J. Mayhue notched his team-leading sixth save with a perfect ninth inning where he struck out all three batters faced after entering the game with a runner on first and no outs. Starter Carson Whisenhunt went 4.2 innings surrendering three runs (two earned) on four hits with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts. Cam Colmore struck out two and gave up a pair of hits in two full innings on the bump.
 
Blake Wimberley (2-4) suffered the loss giving up four runs (all earned) on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts in five full innings. Takoda Metoxen allowed one run (earned) on four hits with a pair of punch outs in three innings.

GAME 1 RECAP
ECU earned a 12-2 win in eight innings in the series opener thanks to an offense that pounded out 14 hits and a staff that tallied 13 strikeouts.
 
With the game knotted at one-all, the Pirates scored three runs in the third inning giving them their first lead of the game at 4-1. Lane Hoover and Thomas Francisco started the frame with singles before Seth Caddell plated Hoover on a double to right center. Josh Moylan followed with an RBI base hit up the middle plating Francisco from third. Caddell would score later on when Alec Makarewicz' grounded into a double-play.
 
Gavin Williams (4-0) earned the win allowing one run (earned) on four hits with a walk and nine strikeouts in five full innings of work. Garrett Saylor gave up a run (earned) on two hits with three punch outs over two frames and Trystan Kimmel pitched the eighth issuing a walk and fanning one.
 
Jackson Cothren (1-4) took the loss after he was touched for eight runs (five earned) on 10 hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 4.1 innings. James Muse (0.2 IP, 1 R, 1 K) and JT Durham (2.0 IP, 3 Rs, 2 BBs, 1 K) also experienced action in the first game for the Tigers.

UCF 8, Cincinnati 6 (Game 1) - Box Score
The UCF baseball team split its series opening doubleheader at Cincinnati on Friday. The Knights defeated the Bearcats in game one, 8-6 and fell 2-1 in the nightcap.
 
The Black & Gold jumped out to a two-run lead in the first with Ben McCabe and John Montes earning the RBIs. UCF started the third with back-to-back singles from Gephry Pena and Jordan Rathbone, followed up with a Tom Josten RBI double to left to pish across Pena. Rathbone and Josten would also come across to make it 5-0, Knights.
 
Cincinnati surged in the fourth inning, plating six runs on three home runs, a double and a single in the frame. Billy McKay entered the game with two runners on, one out and retired back-to-back batters to get the Knights out of the jam. McKay would toss 3.0 innings to earn the win with 5 strikeouts.
 
The Knights scored three in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a leadoff triple from Gephry Pena and an RBI double from Tom Josten to retake the 8-6 lead.

Cincinnati 2, UCF 1 (Game 2) - Box Score
CINCINNATI – After an offensive barrage in game one of the doubleheader, the University of Cincinnati baseball team scored single runs in the third and fourth innings and three pitchers combined to hold visiting UCF to one run in the nightcap, a 2-1 Bearcats win in American Athletic Conference action Friday at UC Baseball Stadium.
 
Cincinnati (12-15, 1-5 AAC) snapped a five-game losing skid and picked up its first conference win of the season while UCF fell to 13-17 and 3-3 in AAC play.
 
Griffin Merritt singled to right center with one out in the bottom of the fourth to plate the go-ahead run in the form of Paul Komistek who led the inning off with a double and tagged up on Jake Hansen's looping line out to left field.
 
From there, UC starter Garrett Schoenle and relievers Jackson Murphy and Dean McCarthy combined to hold the Knights to one hit over their final five innings, striking out six.
 
The Bearcats had taken a 1-0 lead on Joey Bellini's two-out single in the third to score Cole Harting. Harting had reached on a passed ball after striking out, stole second and took third after a throw by UCF's catcher caromed into short center.
 
The Knights got on the board with a one-out home run from Josh Crouch in the top of the fourth inning.
 
Schoenle (2-1) picked up the win while McCarthy pitched the eighth and ninth for his first career save. UCF's Kenny Serwa (0-2) was tagged with the loss.

Wichita State 10, Houston 2 (Game 1) - Box Score
Wichita State 7, Houston 1 (Game 2) - Box Score
WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State baseball increased its winning streak to five games with a doubleheader sweep of the Houston Cougars in the opening games of a four-game American Athletic Conference series Friday, April 9, at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field, winning game one, 10-2, before claiming the nightcap, 7-1.
 
Wichita State (17-9, 5-1 American) and Houston (13-16, 1-5 American) are scheduled to play game three of the series Saturday, April 10, at 2 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium in downtown Wichita. It will be the inaugural game at the new stadium, which is home to the Wichita Wind Surge minor league baseball team.
 
In the 10-2 triumph in game one, senior right-handed starting pitcher Preston Snavely shined on the mound, tossing seven innings and allowing two earned runs on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, earning the win to move to 3-1 on the season.
 
Garrett Kocis went 3-for-5 with a double and drove in three runs, while freshman Seth Stroh homered and had three RBI, leading the Shockers at the plate in game one.
 
WSU used a six-run fifth inning to break a scoreless stalemate and jump out to a 6-0 lead in the opener.

Game 2 Recap
Junior right-handed starter Liam Eddy posted a career-outing on the mound to help Wichita State to the 7-1 victory in the nightcap.
 
Eddy, who hails from Brighton, Colo., matched his career-high with eight innings pitched and allowed just one earned run on two hits with a career-best 11 strikeouts and only three walks on 111 pitches, earning the win to move to 3-4 in 2021.
 
Couper Cornblum and Sigrist both had four hits in the second game, including doubles, with Sigrist tallying a triple, to pace the Shockers offensively.