East Carolina University
Houston
Softball Swept At No. 10 Houston
April 12, 2008 | Softball
April 12, 2008
HOUSTON, Texas - No. 10 Houston got the best of the East Carolina softball team on Saturday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader at the Cougar Softball Stadium. The Cougars took game one 16-0 while also capturing the second contest 6-2. The Pirates fall to 28-20 overall and 5-8 in C-USA while Houston improves to 36-5 on the season and 12-1 in conference play.
ECU had no match for the Cougars' offense in game one as Houston used five hits to score six runs in the first two innings. The Pirates received their first hit from Charina Sumner as she led off the top of the fourth with a single. However, that was after Houston put together a 10-run third inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Amanda Grote. Stacey Andrews singled in the top of the fifth with Erin St. Ledger on first but the Pirates could not bring a run across the plate as the Cougars earned the shutout.
East Carolina got off to a much better start in game two, as it took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Sumner led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a Christina Merrida groundout. Vanessa Moreno then singled and reached second on a throwing error by the left fielder that also allowed Sumner to score. The next batter, Erin St. Ledger, singled on the infield to plate Moreno. However, Houston tied the game in the bottom of the first on a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Pirate starter Suzanne Riggs issued a walk to Elaina Nordstrom that would come back to hurt her, as Jennifer Klinkert sent a pitch over the left center wall to give the Cougars a 4-2 advantage. Houston tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to seal the doubleheader sweep.
Riggs dropped to 3-2 in the circle, giving up six runs on 10 hits while walking two. St. Ledger sparked the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
ECU will try to salvage the final game of the series as it meets the Cougars tomorrow at 1 p.m. The contest will be televised on CBS College Sports on tape delay, starting at 3 p.m.
