Softball Sweeps UNCG
April 16, 2008 | Softball
April 16, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Juniors Brooke Swann and Angel Barrella led the way for the East Carolina softball team as it swept a doubleheader from UNC Greensboro on Wednesday afternoon at the UNCG Softball Stadium. The Pirates improve to 29-21 on the season while the Spartans fall to 14-27 overall.
ECU received a leadoff double from Stacey Andrews in the top of the second, leading to its first run of the contest. After Andrews advanced to third on a Jessica Johnson groundout, she scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Cristen Aona, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. After Angel Barrella led of the top of the third with a single, she advanced to second on a sac bunt by Charina Sumner. Christina Merrida then reached first on a fielder's choice play, allowing Barrella to take third. Barrella would score on the next at bat, when Vanessa Moreno lined a sharp grounder to third that the third baseman could not handle. Erin St. Ledger then grounded out to second to leave the score at 2-0 in favor of East Carolina.
The Pirates tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth. With Johnson at third and Aona at second, Paige Baggett poked a single up the middle to score both runners and give ECU a 4-0 advantage. With Barrella at second via a one-out double in the top of the sixth, Sumner plated her on a single to right, making the Pirate lead 5-0.
East Carolina then closed the scoring in the inning with two more runs on one hit and two UNCG errors, pushing the score to 7-0. The Spartans put a run across in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Lyndsay Mouse, but the Pirates shut down UNCG in the final inning to secure the 7-1 win.
Junior Brooke Swann recorded her 21st complete game of the season, moving her record to 16-15. She scattered five hits while giving up just one earned run, walking none and striking out six. Barrella and Moreno each tallied two hits on the game while Baggett notched two RBI.
ECU assumed a 1-0 advantage in the top of the third in game two when Barrella scored from third on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single to left. The Pirates had St. Ledger in scoring position with two outs in the top of the fourth, but Johnson popped up to short to end the threat.
The Spartans tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when M.C. Vercoe drove a pitch just over the left field wall for her third home run of the season. However, Baggett quickly responded for East Carolina, leading off the top of the fifth with a solo shot over the fence in left center, making the score 2-1.
UNCG put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but Whitney Miller fouled out to Johnson to end the inning. Swann allowed just two more hits the rest of the game to seal the win for her team. The junior struck out a season-high nine in the contest.
The Pirates return home this weekend as they host UTEP in a three-game conference series. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at the ECU Softball Field.
