By WRAL Staff

Evansville knocked off nationally seeded East Carolina 4-1 in the first game of the Greenville regional Friday afternoon.

East Carolina, which grabbed the No. 16 seed, now faces a long road to winning the regional. Wake Forest and VCU meet in Friday’s second game.

East Carolina will face the loser in an elimination game. The Pirates, in their 34th NCAA baseball tournament, are seeking their first-ever trip to the College World Series.

Evansville took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and tacked on another run in the third. East Carolina cut the deficit to 2-1 on a solo home run by Carter Cunningham in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Evansville added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Purple Aces starter Kenton Deverman threw eight innings and allowed just one run.

ECU 2024 regional schedule

Friday, May 31

Game 1: No. 4 Evansville 4, No. 1 ECU 1

Game 2: No. 2 Wake Forest vs. No. 3 VCU, 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 1

Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, Noon

Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 2

Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, Noon

Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.

Monday, June 3

Game 7: If necessary

The College World Series will begin June 14 in Omaha.

Source: wralsportsfan.com