Lincoln has surrendered four hits through four innings, but the Pirates have maximized their opportunities by netting back-to-back hits in the second and third innings. Ryan Tousley started a two-out rally in the second with a double over the first base bag and scored on a single by Jacob Dean. Two singles in the third put runners on the corners with one out for East Carolina, but a perfectly executed pickoff by Lincoln erased the runner from first and a well-played grounder to third baseman Dustin Kingsbury ended the threat. On the pickoff, Lincoln had the runner stranded well off first, and instead of tossing to the bag and starting a rundown that could have scored the run from third he ran straight at

Sasser had also allowed four hits through four innings, but the floodgates opened early in the fifth. Luis Garcia hit a hard liner right to third baseman Jacob Dean for the first out. A Travis Cougot single and a walk to Jake Stewart set the stage for the heart of the Houston order. Isa Garcia's two-run double started the first chants of "Hous-ton (clap-clap)" this weekend, as the Cougar faithful rallied behind their troops. Three pitches later, Matt Weston launched his fifteenth homer of the season to rightfield and the fans were on their feet again. That was the end of the day for Sasser, who surrendered four runs on seven hits in his second short outing of the season against Houston.

Second-seeded Cougars still batting in the top of the 5th, now leading 4-1 over the sixth-seed Pirates.