Pirates Take Two At UTEP

April 10, 2009

EL PASO, TEXAS - Toni Paisley threw the 19th shutout of her career in game one and Angel Barrella tied her career high with three hits in the nightcap as East Carolina swept UTEP on Friday. The Pirates took the first game 2-0 and the second 7-1. The pair of wins gave East Carolina (28-11, 13-4 C-USA) 13 victories in its last 15 contests and dropped UTEP to 21-21 and 6-8 in Conference USA.

Paisley, 20-6, picked up the victory in the opener while striking out 13 and allowing just three hits. Her 19 career shutouts put her in a tie with Laurie Davidson for the fifth most in ECU history. Paisley also shut out the Miners two years ago in her first-ever start in El Paso. Brooke Swann, 6-1, scattered 10 hits and picked up the win in the second contest.

In game one, UTEP threatened in the bottom of the first when Camilla Carrera hit a two-out single and Stacie Townsend reached on an error to put runners at first and second. A Shae Lodes strikeout then ended the frame without any damage.

The Pirates received a single from Barrella to lead off the game and one from Paisley in the second inning, but neither runner advanced past first base.

Jennifer Davis led off the Miner half of the second with a walk and stole second base with one out but was left stranded after a strikeout and pop out.

ECU scored its only runs in the top of the fourth when Jessica Johnson singled and scored on Cristen Aona’s two-run home run to center field. Johnson’s single gave her at least one hit in 12 of the last 13 games and Aona’s shot snapped a string of four consecutive Pirate solo homers.

Carrera singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth for the Miners, but a strikeout and fly out ended the threat and kept the score 2-0 in favor of the Pirates. That was the final UTEP threat, as the team went down in order in the seventh.

Game two had the Miners load the bases on three straight singles in the bottom of the first, but Swann induced a line out and ground out to end the threat and keep UTEP off the scoreboard.

In the top of the second, the Pirates scored two runs to take a 2-0 lead. Marina Gusman-Brown singled, stole second and scored on a Christina Merrida single. Merrida scored when Barrella singled to left field.

East Carolina added another run for a 3-0 advantage in the top of the fourth. Kaui Tom reached on an error by the shortstop to begin the frame and advanced to second on a single by Barrella. Charina Sumner moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Johnson followed with a sacrifice fly to right field that drove in Tom.

UTEP scored its only run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1. Chelsea Troupe singled to right field and Amber Bennett followed with a single to put runners on first and third with two down. Carrera then singled up the middle to plate Troupe. Swann fanned Townsend to end the threat.

The Pirates answered immediately with four runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-1 advantage. Barrella, Sumner and Johnson hit consecutive one-out singles to load the bases. Aona then singled to right field to drive in two and put runners on first and second with one out. Sarah Bibee followed with a single to center field that drove in Johnson. Aona also scored on the play after a throwing error by the center fielder.

UTEP attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh as Kristin Lusby and Troupe hit back-to-back doubles but Swann struck out Bennett and induced a Carrera fly out to end the game.

A victory for the Pirates in tomorrow’s series finale at 2 p.m. would give them 14 C-USA wins, the second-most in program history.

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