East Carolina University
North Carolina State
Five-Run 10th Inning Leads To Pirate Win
March 18, 2009 | Softball
March 18, 2009
RALEIGH, N.C. -- After playing nine scoreless innings, East Carolina exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th to earn a 5-0 victory over N.C. State (10-9) on Wednesday night. Toni Paisley, Sarah Bibee, Kaui Tom and Charina Sumner all drove in runs for ECU (16-9, 3-3 C-USA) in the 10th inning. The victory also gave Tracey Kee her 550th as the head coach of the Pirates.
Over the first nine innings, N.C. State's Lindsay Campana and Paisley matched zeros on the board. Campana fanned eight in the contest while Paisley struck out 11 and neither allowed a walk. Paisley, 12-4 on the year, had a perfect game going through seven innings before giving up a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth. The shutout for Paisley moved her into a tie for sixth on the ECU career list.
Both teams went down in order and combined for 12 strikeouts in the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Christina Merrida tallied East Carolina's first hit with a bunt single, but was thrown out trying to steal second.
The Pirates scratched out another hit in the top of the fifth on an Angel Barrella single, but Cristen Aona hit into a fielder's choice and Paisley ended the inning with a pop out to the shortstop.
Marina Gusman-Brown smacked a two-out single up the middle in the top of the seventh for East Carolina's third hit of the game, but Barrella flew out to left center to end the inning.
In the top of the eighth, Paisley's single to left gave the Pirates a runner at first with one out but Bibee popped out and Tom grounded out to end the top of the frame.
N.C. State had its first base runner in the bottom of the eighth when Kristine Bechtholdt rolled a single up through the middle. Following a fielder's choice, Claudia Cooper sent a single to left to put runners on first and second with two outs. Paisley then escaped when Landon Warren fouled out to left.
Merrida notched her second hit of the game in the top of the ninth when she singled to the left side of the infield. Jessica Johnson moved Merrida to second with a sacrifice bunt before Gusman-Brown was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with two outs. Barrella then grounded out to the second baseman to end the threat.
The Wolfpack's Lauren Peters hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but was left stranded when Alyssa Allbritten fouled out to Aona at third.
With the start of the 10th inning, the tie-breaker rules took effect and both teams started with a runner on second base. Barrella was placed on second for the Pirates and Aona led off by reaching on a fielding error by the N.C. State shortstop. She then stole second, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Paisley then helped herself with a run-scoring fielder's choice to give ECU a 1-0 lead. Bibee followed with a double to right center that drove in Aona. Tom's single to left plated Paisley for the 3-0 advantage. N.C. State then made a pitching change and Sumner provided the final blow with a two-run double to left.
N.C. State went down in order in the bottom of the 10th to preserve the win.
The Pirates will next travel to UAB this weekend for a Conference USA series. The teams are slated to play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m., before finishing the series with one Sunday game, starting at 1 p.m.
