Defense and pitching has been the name of the game so far. Neither team has committed an error, and both have made some excellent plays with the leather.

Green Wave shortstop Cat Everett ranged deep in the outfield to pull in an Adam Witter popup to end the first inning. Third baseman Brad Emaus has made two spectacular plays, both off the bat of Jake Smith (who was able to beat the first one out for a single). Not to be outdone, the Pirates turned a beautiful 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth inning and bring the team out of the dugout in celebration.

On the scoring front, Tulane starter Billy Mohl labored in the second inning and the Pirates were able to draw first blood. The first two batters singled, and after an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt Jay Mattox singled through the left side to score Stephen Batts. Mohl escaped further trouble, and the Wave answered with a two-out rally in the fourth. Mark Hamilton, who is 3-for-3 so far in the game singled to start the uprising. After a wild pitch and a walk, Brad Emaus doubled down the leftfield line to even the score.

Tulane has brought a large and vocal contingent today. The loudest reaction was in the top of the sixth, when a Nathan Southard shot down the leftfield line was called foul despite an apparent cloud of chalk. East Carolina's crowd is small but no less enthusiastic. One of their fans has discovered that you can make lots of noise on the bleachers down the third base line, so every Pirate success is greeted with great fanfare.