Sasser helps ECU ease by Camels

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on March 25, 2004 1:56 PM

• Print
• Email

BUIES CREEK -- Ryan Jones finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and six different pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts as No. 18 East Carolina routed Campbell, 12-2, Wednesday night at Taylor Field. ECU posted a season-high 12 runs and held the Camels to one earned run on six hits.

Junior right-hander Matt Bishop earned his first win of the season in relief. Bishop struck out five in 22Ú3 innings and allowed only one hit. P.J. Connelly started the game for ECU and gave up one earned run in 11Ú3 inning.

Charles B. Aycock graduate Dustin Sasser worked a perfect fourth-inning of relief, striking out one.

Drew Costanzo went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI and belted his second home run of the season. Jamie Paige and Ryan Norwood each added two hits.

Joe Anthonsen led the Camels going 2-for-4 at the plate.

Ryan Jone's RBI triple scored Jamie Paige in the first inning giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Trevor Lawhorn's sacrifice plated Jones for a 2-0 ECU lead.

ECU tacked on three more runs in the second inning. Jamie Paige singled in Mark Minicozzi and Drew Costanzo for a 4-0 Pirate lead. Jones doubled in his second run of the game to put the Pirates ahead, 5-0.

Campbell cut its deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the second. After Matt Byrd and Lonnie Whitehead each drew walks and moved up on an error by the pitcher, Byrd scored on David Forbes ground out pulling the Camels within, 5-1. Phillip Strickland's RBI single plated the final run of the inning for Campbell.

ECU added one run in the top of the third when Nate Logan was called for a balk to plate Ryan Norwood as the Pirates led, 6-2.

Drew Costanzo's two-run home run in the top of the fifth sparked a four-run inning extending ECU's lead, 10-2. Jones' second double of the game drove in John Poppert and Paige for the last two runs of the inning.

ECU made it 12-2 when Tim Rispoli hit Billy Richardson and Mike Harrington with the bases loaded bringing in the final two runs.

East Carolina continues it's road swing when the Pirates travel to Memphis this weekend for the second Conference USA series of the season.