GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — C.J. Mayhue gave up a run on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts over 5 innings, Josh Moylan and Justin Wilcoxen each hit a home run and top-seeded ECU beat No. 2 seed Virginia 4-2 on Saturday night.
No. 8 national seed ECU (44-18) — which has won 20 in a row, the longest active win streak in the nation — plays the winner of a loser-out game between Virginia and Coastal Carolina on Sunday for a trip to the super regionals.
Moylan hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to make it 2-0 and the Pirates led the rest of the way.
The Cavaliers (39-18) cut their deficit to a run in the top of the fifth and the seventh but ECU responded in the home half of the inning each time. Chris Newell hit a two-out homer for Virginia before Wilcoxen led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot. Ethan Anderson’s groundout scored Kyle Teel to make it 3-2 before Alec Makarewicz scored on a sacrifice fly by Zach Agnos to give the Pirates a two-run lead heading into the eighth.
After Devin Ortiz struck out to lead off the top of the ninth, Teel and Casey Saucke hit back-to-back singles before Agnos, who started the game at shortstop, came on to pitch. He walked Anderson to load the bases before striking out Newell on three pitches and Max Cotier struck out swinging to end it.
Brian Gursky allowed three runs — two earned — on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings for Virginia.
