East Carolina, which finished last in the American Athletic Conference in the regular season, is one win away from a conference championship and an unlikely trip to NCAA regionals.
The eighth-seeded Pirates (32-27) got a 4-0 win to eliminate top-seeded Central Florida (40-20) on Saturday at Spectrum Field, their third straight tournament win over an opponent that swept them in the regular season.
ECU advances to Sunday’s championship (noon, ESPNews) against second-seeded Houston, which beat UConn 13-3 on Saturday. Houston also swept its three games against ECU in April.
The Pirates, who won a conference crown on the same field two years ago, got seven shutout innings from freshman left-hander Jake Agnos, and solo home runs from Travis Watkins and Spencer Brickhouse among their four hits.