Softball Plays Iona In Austin Regional
May 21, 2010 | Softball
May 21, 2010
Gametracker | Live Chat | Mobile Live Chat | Watch Live | Listen Live
Gameday Central | Complete Game Notes In PDF Form 
2010 NCAA Softball Tournament Bracket in PDF Form | Interactive Bracket
Austin Regional Central
AUSTIN, Texas - The East Carolina softball team continues NCAA Tournament Regional action Friday with a 6:00 p.m. contest against Iona (28-25). The Pirates (42-17) suffered a 1-0 defeat to BYU Thursday evening in the opening game. If ECU defeats the Gaels, it will play again at 8:30 p.m. against the loser of the BYU and Texas game.
ECU Taking On Iona ...
In the only meeting between the two teams, March 21, 1998, at the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C., the Pirates won 6-0. East Carolina pushed across one run in the bottom of the first and five more in the third. Lisa Paganini scattered four hits and struck out four in the complete-game shutout. The Pirate offense was led by Dawn Conrad, who went 1-2 and drove in a run. Keisha Shepperson added a run scored, RBI and a 1-2 effort at the plate.
East Carolina Versus Texas ...
The Pirates recorded a 5-4 victory over the Longhorns in the only game between the two programs, in Tampa, Fla., March 10, 1997. East Carolina took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but surrendered two runs in the top of the sixth to fall behind 4-3. In the bottom of the sixth, Tonya Oxendine gave the Pirates the victory with a game-winning hit up the middle. In addition to Oxendine's heroics, Dana Hulings went 3-3 and drove in two runs. Conrad scored two runs.
The Big Bat ...
Earlier this season, senior Marina Gusman-Brown made the most of her spring-break trip home to Hawai'i, batting .333 during the five contests, driving in six runs and being named to the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational All-Tournament Team. She hit home runs against Seattle and Hawai'i, with the long ball against the Rainbow Wahine being her first career grand slam. The four runs batted in against Hawai'i established her career high.
Another All-Tournament Team Selection ...
Senior Kaui Tom was also selected to the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational All-Tournament Team. She recorded three hits and two runs batted in while playing errorless defense. In the first game against Seattle, she scored a run and had an RBI. In the tournament finale, also against Seattle, Tom drove in the insurance run in a 2-0 win.
Suzanne Riggs = Captain Clutch ...
Three times in 2010 sophomore Suzanne Riggs has delivered a pinch-hit, game-winning single in the final inning. Riggs plated the winner in the April 14 opener at N.C. State with an eighth-inning single, in the second game against UTEP April 17 with a seventh-inning walk-off single and May 1 against Southern Miss with a game-ending single in the bottom of the seventh.
One Last Hurrah ...
Senior Vanessa 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 .358 batting average. She is one of only two Pirates batting over .300 during that span. Moreno also leads the Pirates with 19 hits, four home runs, 12 runs scored, 34 total bases and a .680 slugging percentage. Additionally, she ranks second in RBI with nine.
Two Outs? No Problem ...
Gusman-Brown has had little trouble producing with two outs this season. She is 23-56 for a team-high .411 batting average with two down. Gusman-Brown also paces the Pirates with 21 runs batted in with two outs.
Less Than Two ...
When opponents do score against the Pirates, they have not done so more than twice many times this season. ECU has allowed two runs or fewer in 44 of the team's 59 games.
