Austin Irby homers again, leads East Carolina to Conway Regional final with 11-4 win over Gators
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — East Carolina freshman Austin Irby continued his tear in the Conway Regional, homering for a third straight game to lead the Pirates past Florida 11-4 Sunday and sending them to the final against Coastal Carolina.
The Pirates (35-26) beat Florida in the regional opener Friday and bounced back from Saturday's 18-7 loss to Coastal Carolina to set up a Sunday night final against the Chanticleers. ECU would have to beat Coastal Carolina twice to go super regionals.
Florida (39-22) saw its bid for a third straight College World Series appearance end.
Irby is 9 for 14 with seven RBIs in three regional games after going 2 for 4 and driving in two runs against the Gators. He singled in a run in the third inning and homered in the fourth to help the Pirates build their lead to 8-1.
Freshman Braden Burress was 3 for 5 with three RBIs and raised his batting average to .401.
Another East Carolina freshman, starter Lance Williams, gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in a season-best five innings, and Jake Hunter worked four scoreless innings.
Pierce Coppola (2-2) was tagged for three runs, two earned, in two innings. Bill Barlow, who replaced Coppola, surrendered three runs without recording an out.
The Gators were 1 for 12 with runners on base.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
recommended
in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Contreras HR, Burleson's 2 RBIs power the Cardinals to a 7-4 win over the Rays
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Willson Contreras homered, Alec Burleson's two-run single highlighted a five-run second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Thursday night. Sonny Gray (12-6) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings, with six strikeouts and a walk for the win. Kyle Leahy, Matt Svanson and JoJo Romero (fourth save) combined to limit Tampa Bay to one run and five hits the rest of the way. Trailing 1-0 going into the second, the Cardinals got run-scoring hits from Nathan Church and Lars Nootbaar before another run scored on a wild pitch and Burleson drove in two runs with a single to right field. Ivan Herrera added an RBI single in the fourth and Contreras hit his 18th homer of the season in the seventh off Bryan Baker. Tampa Bay's Yardy Diaz hit a two-run homer in the third. It was his 17th homer at Steinbrenner Field and 21st of the season overall. Joe Boyle (1-3) took his first home loss this season. He allowed six runs, five earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts and three walks in five innings. Key moment Diaz, the Rays' veteran DH singled in the bottom of the fifth and injured his right hamstring. He left the game and is day-to-day. Key stat After allowing just one earned run in four previous starts at Steinbrenner Field, Boyle allowed five earned and six total Thursday. He also allowed a career-high nine hits. Up next Rays RHP Adrian Houser (6-4, 2.67 ERA) faces Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (6-9, 4.99) on Friday. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Keys for the Buccaneers' offense against the Bills defense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrap up their 2025 preseason this Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, and while most starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, are expected to rest, there's still plenty at Tampa Bay's offense, this game is about more than execution; it's about evaluation. Here are three key offensive goals the Bucs must hit to close out the preseason on a high note: Let Teddy Take Control Veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked sharp last week in limited action, tossing two touchdowns and moving the ball efficiently in the first quarter. With Mayfield sitting, Bridgewater will likely get a few drives again, giving him a final tune-up and a chance to build chemistry with the second-team offense and an opportunity to make an impression for QB2. Sort Out the WR Depth Battle The competition behind Evans, Godwin Jr, and Egbuka is heating up. Sterling Shepard has had a solid camp, while Ryan Miller and Tez Johnson are all fighting for snaps. This game could be make-or-break for who earns a spot on the final 53 or sticks on the practice squad. A standout performance, whether it's yards after the catch or special teams impact, could tip the scales. Clean Execution from the Offensive Line The backup offensive line struggled with penalties and protection lapses early in the preseason. Saturday is a final chance for players like Luke Haggard, Benjamin Chukwuma, and Elijah Klein to prove they can hold up in live reps. Protecting Bridgewater or Trask and opening running lanes for depth backs like Sean Tucker, Owen Wright, and Josh Williams will be essential for keeping the offense on schedule. This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Keys for the Bucs' offense against the Bills defense
Los Angeles Times
31 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Whale of a catch: Potential record-setting 64-pound white sea bass hooked by 13-year-old boy
When 13-year-old Julian Her returned to school for the first day of class, the Northern California eighth-grader had a thrilling tale to tell about his summer vacation. Her wrote his name into local fishing lore and potentially the record book as he landed a 63.7-pound white sea bass while on a family trip to Tomales Bay, about 30 miles southwest of Santa Rosa, on Aug. 10. 'I feel like a star,' Her, a student at Riverside Meadows Intermediate School in Plumas Lake, said about his myriad interviews with friends and media alike. 'The thing that's been cool about catching this fish is so many people come up to you and ask you, 'Where did you catch this fish?' Or they say, 'That's an amazing fish.' The youngster weighs only about 15 pounds more than his famous catch. His previous best was a 10-pound catfish he snagged in May, according to his father, Rinna Her. 'I don't know how to describe it at the moment,' said Rinna Her, who lives with his wife and three kids in Rio Oso. 'It was so fun, a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and I think we know that my son, myself or anyone in the party will never catch a fish like that again.' The Hers are documenting their trophy fish and attempting to verify its status with the Florida-based International Game Fish Assn. To verify a record catch, the IGFA asks applicants to document their catch, weigh the fish on certified scales on solid ground and save and submit the tackle. The fish was initially weighed at Bodega Tackle in Petaluma on Aug. 10. The shop is helping the Hers complete documentation and certification. If the IGFA accepts the claim, Julian's catch would break the previous junior world white sea bass record of 59 pounds, set in 2002. The 63.7-pound haul would also set the junior class record for that fishing line strength. Bodega Tackle manager Angelina Love said white sea bass is a common catch in Tomales Bay. The shop has also seen its share of massive fish, including when store owner Ken Brown hooked a 202.6-pound bluefin tuna in 2022. What made the latest big haul so special, however, is the angler. 'There's been a lot of attention,' Love said. 'People have been asking who's the kid who caught the giant sea bass.' The temperatures on Aug. 10 hovered in the high 50s to low 60s for the better part of the day, making for ideal fishing weather, Rinna Her said. Father, son and three other visiting family members arrived at 5 a.m., looking to catch area halibut. Sometime around noon, Julian's rod, held in the boat by a holder, began to dip. The youngster, who was eating a sandwich, was alerted by his uncle that he had a bite. Julian initially struggled to hold on, leading members of the fishing party to believe he was fighting an area bat ray. It wasn't until Julian's uncle helped the youngster reel in the monster fish that they realized it wasn't a ray. 'I'm thinking, 'I don't know if this is real, I didn't know if it was real,'' Julian said. 'Did I really pull that massive sea bass in?' The fish was eventually dragged onto the boat, photographed and then taken to be weighed.
