GREENVILLE, N.C. ? In its 2009 season opener, the Monmouth University baseball team fell 13-4 at No. 27 East Carolina, at Clark-LeClair Stadium, on Friday afternoon.

Monmouth fell behind 5-0 in the bottom of the first inning, when Kyle Roller's three-run triple to center field put the Pirates in front 3-0. Drew Schieber followed with a run-scoring triple to right, and scored on a groundout, in the next at-bat.

Paul Bottigliero got the Hawks on the board in the top of the second, when the senior laced a leadoff home run to left, cutting the lead to 5-1.

ECU responded with two runs in the home half of the second, as Stephen Batts delivered an RBI single, and Brandon Henderson's sacrifice fly gave the Pirates a 7-1 edge after two frames.

An RBI single up the middle by Henderson, and a two-run home run from Roller in the bottom of the fifth, all off starter Kyle Breese, pushed the Pirate advantage to 10-1. ECU claimed an 11-1 lead in the seventh when a two-out, bases loaded walk pushed across another score.

A wild pitch by freshman Joe Loiodice, with runners on second and third, followed by Trent Whitehead's run-scoring single, accounted for the Pirate runs in the eighth frame, pushing the score to 13-1.

In the top of the ninth, the Hawks loaded the bases with no outs when Chris Collazo reached on an error, and both Ryan Terry and Bottigliero drew walks. Niederhaus recorded an RBI with his free pass, before Cal Costanzo drove in a run on a double-play ground out, making the score 13-3. Freshman Jamie Rosenkranz's single up the middle with two outs, drove in Niederhaus, making the score 13-4, giving the rookie his first career hit and RBI.

Breese (0-1) surrendered 10 runs on nine hits in 4.0 innings of work in his first start of the season, while senior Tim Ballard worked 2.0 hitless and scoreless frames, with a career-high tying four strikeouts.

Freshman Adam Krebs allowed two hits in his collegiate debut, surrendering a single run in the seventh inning. While fellow rookie Joe Loiodice allowed two runs on three hits in his first appearance.

Rick Niederhaus, in the DH role, led the Hawks with two hits, while Bottligiero connected on the fourth homer of his Monmouth career.

ECU's Seth Maness earned the win, working 7.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits, with six strikeouts. Bailey Daniels worked a perfect eighth for the Pirates, while Ryan Wood surrendered three unearned runs in the ninth.

Monmouth, which opened the 2008 campaign with a victory over the Pirates, faces East Carolina in the second game of the series on Saturday, February 21, when junior Ryan Buch takes the hill for the Hawks. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.