GREENVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — Davin Whitaker went 4 for 4 with two home runs and three RBIs, and Ryan Towers threw five scoreless innings as East Carolina routed South Florida 11-1 on Friday night in an American Athletic Conference game at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates jumped ahead in the third inning with a six-run outburst that erased an early deficit and put the game out of reach. Whitaker’s two-run homer to right field capped a three-run frame, and Walker Barron followed with a three-run shot down the left-field line before Ethan Kalinich added a solo homer to right-center. The inning gave East Carolina a 7-1 lead and chased Bulls starter Michael Senay after just three innings.

South Florida had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when a fielding error by East Carolina right fielder Jack Herring allowed a run to score. Herring reached on an error that plated Burress and tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first. The score remained deadlocked until the Pirates broke through in the third.

Whitaker, who also singled in the first and fourth innings, added his second home run of the night in the sixth inning, a solo shot to right-center that stretched the lead to 11-1. The junior outfielder, playing center field before moving to right field in the seventh, finished a double short of the cycle.

Towers (5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K) was efficient, allowing only four hits and striking out five without issuing a walk. He faced the minimum over the first two innings and worked out of a minor jam in the fifth when South Florida loaded the bases with two outs but Correa struck out swinging to end the threat.

East Carolina tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning without a hit, capitalizing on a passed ball that allowed Whitaker to score from third. Jeff Sabater then singled to center field, driving in two runs to make it 10-1. Sabater finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Barron walked twice and hit his three-run homer in the third, finishing 1 for 2 with three RBIs. Kalinich added a solo home run in the third and finished 1 for 4. Herring, despite the early error, reached base twice on walks and drove in a run on the error in the first.

For South Florida, Jackson Mirza, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the fifth, singled in the seventh to score Brenczewski for the Bulls’ only run. Matt Rose went 2 for 2 before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Starting pitcher Michael Senay lasted three innings, allowing six runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Jorge DeCardenas relieved and threw three innings, giving up three runs on two hits but struck out one.

The Bulls managed only six hits, all singles except for a double by Lohry in the fourth. East Carolina’s defense turned two double plays and catcher Walker Barron threw out a runner attempting to steal second in the third.

The victory improved East Carolina’s record to 26-16 overall and moved the Pirates within one game of .500 in conference play. South Florida fell to 28-13 with the loss, snapping a two-game winning streak.

Whitaker’s performance extended a hot stretch; he had two RBIs in a win at Old Dominion on April 21 and had been 1 for 10 over his previous three games entering Friday. His four-hit night was his first this season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of East Carolina 6, South Florida 5, and Interstat’s ELO system gave the Pirates a 70.10 percent probability to win the game. The two teams meet again Saturday in the second game of the three-game series.