Pirates Open C-USA Tournament Play
May 13, 2010 | Softball
May 13, 2010
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HOUSTON, Texas - The Conference USA regular season champion East Carolina softball team makes its second trip to Houston this season for the C-USA Tournament. For ECU, the league title is its first since claiming three-straight Big South championships from 1997-99. The Pirates begin the C-USA Tournament with a first-round game against No. 8 seed Southern Miss (25-27, 7-17 C-USA) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Pirates Against The Golden Eagles ...
Southern Miss holds a 16-14 advantage in the all-time series, which began with a single game in 1985. The teams did not see each other again until 2002, when East Carolina joined Conference USA. Streaks by both teams have defined the series as the Pirates lost 13 of the first 15 meetings, rebounded to take the next eight, dropped three of the following four but won the three games in Greenville this season.
Two weeks ago, the Pirates recorded 4-0, 1-0 and 5-0 victories. In game one, senior Vanessa Moreno led off the second inning with a home run before ECU tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. The second contest had sophomore Suzanne Riggs drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit single as sophomore Faith Sutton allowed just three hits in the shutout. In the Sunday series finale, the Pirates scored in each of the first three innings as junior Toni Paisley threw her second shutout in as many days.
Paisley Seven-Time C-USA Pitcher-of-the-Week ...
Seven times in 2010, Paisley was named the Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Week, tying the mark she reached last year and shares with Southern Miss' Courtney Blades (2000) for the most weekly honors in a season. Paisley received the award March 1, 15 and 30, April 5 and 19 and May 3 and 10. Paisley has 15 career honors, one short of Houston pitcher Angel Shamblin (2005-08) and DePaul hurler Lindsay Chouinard (2000-03) for the most selections for a C-USA softball player.
Paisley Shuts Down Conference Foes ...
Paisley has recorded 13 victories in Conference USA games this season, with 12 being solo or combined shutouts. She has allowed runs in only three league starts: in a 4-3, nine-inning triumph in the series opener against Marshall, in a 2-0, 11-inning loss in game one to UAB and in a 4-2 setback at Houston in the series finale. The contest against the Thundering Herd was the Pirates' C-USA opener, making Paisley's past 12 league wins shutouts.
One Last Hurrah ...
Moreno has been playing her best softball of the season during the final month of her collegiate career. Since the April 17 series against UTEP began, Moreno has posted a team-best .378 batting average. She leads the Pirates with four home runs, 10 runs scored, a .757 slugging percentage and a .477 on-base percentage. She also ranks second in hits with 14 and RBI with nine.
A Good One-And-Three Punch ...
Senior Marina Gusman-Brown and classmate Charina Sumner have hit either first or third in the lineup for the majority of the 2010 season. The duo has been extremely effective, combining for 109 hits, 65 runs scored, 58 RBI and 39 stolen bases. Those numbers account for more than 28 percent of the team's total in each category.
Shutout Records ...
Paisley and Sutton have thrown eight-straight shutouts to begin the month of May. That streak sets the East Carolina program record for consecutive blankings. The previous best was five from March 1-7, 1992. This season, of the Pirates' 39 wins, a school-record 29 have been shutouts. In 2007 and 1998 ECU had 20 shutouts.
Few Runs Allowed In April, And The Beginning Of May ...
Paisley and Sutton turned in their best work of the season beginning in April, when they limited opponents to just 17 runs. The the hot streak continued into May, blanking Southern Miss in all three games two weeks ago, Elon twice last Thursday and Memphis last weekend. Since the start of April, East Carolina has scored more runs in the fifth inning (21) than foes have total.
The Second-Fewest Allowed Ever ...
The 17 runs Paisley and Sutton allowed in April were the second fewest East Carolina had allowed in program history during a month in which the team played 10 or more games. In February 2003, the Pirates yielded 12 runs, but played just 11 games. Last month, ECU played 18 games and still surrendered only 17 runs.
