Good morning! Even in defeat, East Carolina lacrosse was adding to the highlight reel. Take 15 seconds and check out the moves on Ellie Bromley to keep the Pirates close during last night’s AAC Semifinal match.

What all are we mixing into today's Brew?

🥍 Down to the wire
⚾️ Keys to the game against Cincy
​🏴‍☠️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Down To The Wire. East Carolina lacrosse came up just short of a signature victory last night in the AAC Semifinal round, losing 12-9 to No. 8 Florida. The Pirates were led by Camryn Pennypacker and Sophia LoCicero with two goals apiece as they led for much of the game before dropping the game by a narrow margin. East Carolina was playing in just the second AAC Tournament game in program history as they qualified for the competition for the first time last season.

The Pirates got off to a strong start as they led by a goal through both the first quarter and first half.

The strong play continued into the second half with ECU pushing the lead to two goals after three quarters of play. In the fourth quarter, however, Florida found a bit more offense and came back to take the lead with just under eight minutes to play en route to scoring the game's final five goals. It was the Gators' first lead since the 4:27 mark of the first quarter.

Still, in defeat the Pirates had plenty to be proud of. Brynn Knight made 10 saves—including some spectacular stops. Seven Pirates scored and the Pirates competed well on the draw as the team gave the eighth-ranked team in the nation (and a team which has won every contested AAC Championship) all they could handle.

🔼 Bear In Mind. East Carolina baseball is gearing up for a weekend road series against Cincinnati and we’ve got our fingers crossed that history repeats itself—just three weeks ago, the Pirates swept the Bearcats in three to the tune of a five-run win and back-to-back run rule victories. But that was in Greenville, and this series is in Cincinnati.

Need to know what to watch for in case you make the trip over to the city that made Skyline Chili famous? Here are the keys to the game to keep the Pirates in the winner’s column through Sunday.

• Justin Wilcoxen is the clubhouse leader with a .329 batting average. That’s the good news. The greater news? A whopping seven Pirates join him in the top-40 when it comes to batting averages across the AAC.

• Trey Yesavage, Josh Grosz, and Carter Spivy make up a three-headed monster on the mound—all three are holding opposing batters to under .300 hitting and all three are in the AAC top-15 when it comes to strikeouts per inning, helping the Pirates to a conference-best 4.05 ERA so far this year.

• East Carolina batters are averaging 1.97 extra base hits this year, not including home runs. Outside of Wichita State, that’s the best in the AAC and a big reason they’ve scored the most runs (326) in the conference leading up to this weekend.

🔼 Rock Them Like A Hurricane. East Carolina softball concludes its regular season slate this weekend when the Pirates welcome Tulsa to Max R. Joyner Family Stadium tonight with first pitch at 5:02pm ET sharp and the game being shown on the ESPN+ broadcast. (And before you ask, we also don’t know why they start two minutes after the hour but we’re looking into it…)

The Pirates are coming off a doubleheader against NC State last weekend in which they split the two contests, coming up short 4-2 in the first game and bouncing back to defeat the Wolfpack 4-1 in the second game. Bailee Wilson led the way in the Pirates' win with two hits including a two-run homer to break the game open. Addy Bullis earned the win in the circle, pitching a complete game and not allowing a hit for the final five innings.

🤔 PIRATES TRIVIA

Home sweet home. We mentioned earlier that East Carolina leads the AAC in runs scored. Our question today is about getting by with a little help from our friends…

Who leads the Pirates in RBIs this season?

Think you got it? Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

⏪ ICYMI

We like our Brew hot n’ fresh. But we’re not opposed to you reheating your cup. Here’s some news you may have missed recently…

🏴‍☠️ A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: With the start of May, take a (short) trip back in time and browse April’s photo gallery to see what’s been happening on campus recently.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Pirate Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 THE WEEKEND AHEAD

Friday 5/5

🥎 Softball vs. Tulsa @ 5:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

⚾ Baseball at Cincinnati @ 5:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

Saturday 5/6

🥎 Softball vs. Tulsa @ 2:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

⚾ Baseball at Cincinnati @ 2:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

Sunday 5/7

🥎 Softball vs. Tulsa @ 11:00am ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

⚾ Baseball at Cincinnati @ 1:00pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Video | Live Stats

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Josh Moylan!

Fun Fact: Josh Moylan is also the only East Carolina batter with more RBIs (43) than appearances (42) this season.

Have a great Friday and an even better weekend, y’all.