With a win over UCF coupled with a loss by Tulane, East Carolina is now in tie for first place in the American Athletic Conference baseball standings with the Knights and Green Wave.

Thursday, April 14
East Carolina 12, UCF 7 - Box Score
Memphis 8, South Florida 2 - Box Score
Cincinnati 9, Wichita State 5 - Box Score
Houston 6, Tulane 3 - Box Score

East Carolina 12, UCF 7 - Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – All nine starters for East Carolina tallied at least one base knock while the Pirates plated 10 runs in the fourth inning to secure a 12-7 series opening win over UCF Thursday night in American Athletic Conference play. With the win the Pirates improved to 20-15 on the season and 5-2 in league play, while the Knights dropped to 21-13 and 5-2.
 
Trailing 6-2 after three innings of play, the Pirates registered 10 hits and put a 10-spot on the board taking a 12-6 lead and never looked back. ECU opened the frame with three consecutive base knocks in Alec Makarewicz' double, Bryson Worrell's single and Ben Newton's RBI single before the first out was recorded. Two batters later Lane Hoover singled home Worrell and after Josh Moylan reached on a Knights error, Cam Clonch plated Newton on a sac fly.
 
From that moment, ECU tallied six two-out hits that led to seven runs. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart plated Hoover with an RBI single through the right side, which was followed by and EVI single by Jacob Starling, a two-RBI base knock up the middle from Makarewicz and a two-run homer by Worrell – his fourth of the season. Newton kept the inning going when he was hit by a pitch, Agnos singled to right field and Hoover recorded his second hit of the frame with a shot to right field before Agnos was thrown out at the plate giving the Pirates a six-run advantage, 12-6.
 
Ryder Giles (4-0) picked up the win allowing six tuns (two earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts in five innings before the game was delay one-hour and three minutes for lighting in the area. When play resumed, Garrett Saylor took over pitching the final four frames where he allowed one run (earned) on three hits with four punch outs notching his third save of the year.
 
Connor Staine (4-1) took the loss after he was touched for seven runs (four earned) on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 3.1 innings. The Knights would use four arms out of the bullpen in Ben Vespi (0.1 IP, 4 Hs, 5 Rs), Chase Centala (1.1 IP, 4 Hs, 3 Ks), Dominic Castellano (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) and Jacob Marlowe (2.0 IP, 1 K, 2 BBs, 1 K).

Memphis 8, South Florida 2 - Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. – For the second straight series opener, the Memphis Tigers (14-14, 2-5 American) rode dominant pitching and a big offensive inning in route to a win. Thursday night in Tampa, Landon Gartman (5-0) allowed just two runs over seven innings, while Memphis used a seven-run fifth frame in an 8-2 win over the South Florida Bulls (19-15, 1-6).
 
After both pitchers worked a 1-2-3 first frame, Austin Baskin gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the second inning. Gartman stranded two runners in scoring position in the second frame and another in the third, which kept Memphis in front 1-0 after three innings.

The Tigers sent 10 men to the plate against Orion Kerkering (4-4) in the fifth, as seven eventually scored in the inning
In the frame, the first three Tigers reached base and eventually scored, while Baskin had a two-run double and Chris Swanberg's two-run home run made it 8-0 Memphis.

Cincinnati 9, Wichita State 5 - Box Score
WICHITA, Kan. -- Redshirt junior outfielder Griffin Merritt put together an outstanding performance at the plate Thursday, hitting two home runs to help power the Cincinnati Bearcats over the Wichita State Shockers, 9-5.

Sophomore pitcher Conner Linn (3-1) started on the mound and picked up the win for Cincinnati (14-18, 4-3 American). The southpaw went six innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, allowing one walk and striking out four. Sophomore pitcher Max Bergmann got the save for the Bearcats, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.

Merritt went 2-for-4 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with a career-high five RBIs. Redshirt sophomore catcher Joe Powell added to Merritt's awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs along with one walk. Redshirt junior outfielder Paul Komistek also chipped in for the Bearcats, going 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI.

Houston 6, Tulane 3 - Box Score
HOUSTON – Houston Baseball strung together hits offensively and the Cougars rode a steady start from right-hander Jaycob Deese to a 6-3 win against Tulane in the series opener on Thursday night from Sanders Field at Schroeder Park.
 
Tulane starter Grant Siegel (6-1), who had only allowed six earned runs in 42.0 innings entering Thursday, was tagged for five earned runs (six total) in 4.0 innings. The Cougars collected seven hits against the freshman highlighted by a three-run second inning.
 
Houston (22-12, 4-3 American) swiped five bases, one off its season high, and made the most of its eight hits while capitalizing on two Tulane (22-11-1, 5-2 American) errors. The loss was just the Green Wave's second in their last eight contests. 
 
After using a double steal to start the scoring in the first, Samuel Benjamin tacked on an RBI-double and Brandon Uhse shot a two-run single up the middle in the second. Uhse, starting at designated hitter, finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs including launching his sixth homer of the season in the fifth.
 
Deese (3-2) held Tulane to single runs in the second and fifth while using a double play and strikeout to strand a runner at third in the seventh. The Houston native held Tulane to 1-for-10 (.100) with runners in scoring position, tossing 7.0 frames, working around eight hits while allowing two runs with two walks and as many strikeouts.
 
Cougar closer Ben Sears allowed three hits and one run with a strikeout in 2.0 innings. Tulane reliever Chandler Welch tossed the final 4.0 innings, holding Houston to one hit with a pair of walks and two strikeouts.