Pirates Head To Rival N.C. State
April 14, 2010 | Softball
April 14, 2010
Live Stats | Live Chat
Gameday Central | Complete Game Notes In PDF Form 
GREENVILLE, N.C. - A pair of losses to UAB Saturday snapped East Carolina’s winning streak at eight games, but the Pirates got back on track with a 2-0 Sunday victory over the Blazers. Wednesday, ECU travels to Raleigh to face rival N.C. State (24-17) for a nonleague doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
East Carolina returns to Conference USA action this weekend as UTEP (26-14, 8-4 C-USA), one of three squads tied with the Pirates for second in the league, comes to Greenville. The teams play a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m. and finish the three-game series Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. contest.
Pirates Against The Wolfpack ...
N.C. State holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, which began just five years ago in 2005. The Pirates lost the first five meetings while being outscored 18-2, but have won the past three contests: 9-8 in 11 innings during the 2007 season, 5-0 in 10 frames in Raleigh last season and 3-1 on a two-out, two-run, walk-off home run by Cristen Aona in Greenville nearly a month later.
In the first meeting of 2009, in Raleigh, the teams were tied 0-0 until the 10th inning when the Pirate offense scored five times. Toni Paisley drove in the game-winning run on a fielder’s choice and Charina Sumner plated two more with a double. Paisley also recorded the victory in the circle as she struck out 11 and allowed just three hits. In the second game, nearly a month later, Aona’s walk-off homer gave ECU the win. The Pirates had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Jessica Johnson, only to have NCSU answer with a run in the sixth when Claudia Cooper singled home Alyssa Ishibashi. Paisley picked up the win after striking out 14 and scattering six hits.
I’ll Take 12 Of 13 ...
Despite suffering the loss to UAB in game one Saturday, Paisley has still recorded a victory in 12 of her past 13 decisions. The setback to the Blazers was her first since March 7 at Hawai’i. During the past 13 decisions, Paisley has allowed only seven earned runs in 85.1 innings of work for a 0.57 earned-run average. She has also struck out 118 batters for an average of 1.4 per inning.
Aona Loves UAB ...
The past two seasons, Aona has feasted on Blazer pitching. After going 3-7 last weekend, Aona is a combined 8-15 with three runs scored and two batted in, including the game-winner in the first contest of 2009, in the past six contests against UAB.
Home Cooking Cures All ...
After a trip home to Hawai’i, senior Marina Gusman-Brown and Sumner have been ECU’s two best hitters. Gusman-Brown has a .345 average while Sumner is at .339 in the 19 games since departing the Aloha State. They are two of the three players on the squad to produce double-digit RBI and are the only ones with 20 or more hits since the March 10 doubleheader at Fresno State.
Dominate The State ...
Heading into Wednesday’s games at N.C. State, the Pirates have dominated in-state competition in 2010, going 3-0 while outscoring Campbell and N.C. Central 34-2.
Road Warriors ...
East Carolina has played 27 contests away from Greenville this season, going 16-11. In true away games, the Pirates have excelled, posting an 11-5 mark. ECU is undefeated in its past 10 true road matchups and is 12-0 away from home since March 13.
April Games Bring No Runs ...
All eight of East Carolina’s games in the month of April have been shutouts. The Pirates blanked UCF three times to open the month and Hampton twice last Wednesday. Saturday against UAB, the Blazers recorded 2-0 and 5-0 victories. In the Sunday series finale, East Carolina returned the favor, downing UAB 2-0. This season, of the Pirates’ 23 wins, 15 have been shutouts.
