ECU Hosts Pirate Classic
February 17, 2011 | Softball
Feb. 17, 2011
| East Carolina Games 7-8: Virginia and St. John's | |
| Date | Friday, Feb. 18 |
| Times | 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (ECU Softball Stadium) |
| Tickets | Ticket Central |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| Statistics | East Carolina | Virginia | St. John's |
| Internet Coverage | Virginia Gametracker | St. John's Gametracker Virginia Watch Live | St. John's Watch Live Pirate Classic Central | Live Chat |
| Mobile Connect | Live Chat for Mobile Devices |
| Pirate Softball Central |
Gameday Central | Roster |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - After opening its new home Wednesday with an 8-0 victory over UNC Wilmington, East Carolina continues its 11-game homestand with the Pirate Classic. ECU welcomes Virginia (3-1), St. John's (2-3), Hofstra (4-1) and Kent State (2-2) to Greenville. The Pirates begin tournament play Friday with a 2:00 p.m. contest against the Cavaliers and a game versus the Red Storm at approximately 4:00 p.m. East Carolina takes on the Pride and Golden Flashes Saturday at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., respectively, before finishing the event Sunday against St. John's at 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday against rival UNC Wilmington, East Carolina exploded on offense, pounding out 13 hits and eight runs in the six-inning victory. Junior Suzanne Riggs continued her hot start to the season, going 2-2 and driving in two runs. Freshman Kristi Oshiro collected three hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Senior Toni Paisley and junior Faith Sutton combined to blank the Seahawks on one hit.
The Pirates Against The Cavaliers
East Carolina's most played opponent of the weekend is Virginia, which owns a 34-22 advantage in the all-time series. The Pirates, however, have claimed four of the last six contests. The programs first met in 1984, during the Pirates' initial season of fastpitch softball, and last squared off during the first weekend of the 2009 season at the ECU Invitational.
In the Feb. 7, 2009, contest, ECU claimed a 9-1 victory. Jessica Johnson drove in three runs and Marina Gusman-Brown scored three times to support Paisley's one-hit performance in her return from a 2008 arm injury. The Cavaliers flipped the script the next day, claiming a 12-1 victory by using six-run second and seventh innings. Gusman-Brown scored ECU's only run.
East Carolina Versus St. John's
The Pirates hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Red Storm. The teams split their last two meetings, Feb. 24, 2007, at the Hampton Inn Pirate Classic. ECU lost the first contest 4-3 but responded with a 9-0 victory in the second game. A week before at the FAU Dunkin Donuts Classic, the Pirates downed the Red Storm 11-0.
ECU's Brooke Swann suffered the loss in the 4-3 decision, allowing three runs on three hits in two-and-a-third innings. Erin St. Ledger had three hits to pace the offense. Keli Harrell no hit St. John's in the 9-0 victory and struck out 12. Vanessa Moreno and Beth Nolan each drove in three runs while Paige Baggett and Charina Sumner scored three times apiece. Moreno led the offense in the 11-0 triumph, going 2-2 and driving in four runs. Sumner collected three hits and was one of four Pirates to score twice.
Paisley A Candidate For The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
East Carolina senior All-America Paisley is one of 30 NCAA softball student-athlete candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Paisley is the only student-athlete selected from Conference USA.
Paisley Closing In On Strikeout Mark
In addition to recording the win, Paisley also tallied eight strikeouts Wednesday. Paisley's career total is now 937, just 12 shy of surpassing Harrell for the all-time program and Conference USA records. Paisley and Harrell are the only pitchers in league history with 900 or more whiffs.
In the opening contest against Lipscomb, a fifth-inning strikeout of Haley Elliott was Paisley's 900th career K. The Lakewood, Calif., native now has 39 career games with 10 or more strikeouts.
Offense Comes To Life
East Carolina's offense broke out in a big way Wednesday, pounding out 13 hits and eight runs after entering the day with just eight hits and three runs scored through the first five games of the season. East Carolina had a .150 batting average going into the contest, but hit .448 during the game.
Riggs (2), Oshiro (3) and classmate Jasmine Robbins (2) all had multiple-hit performances against the Seahawks. Riggs also recorded the team's first multi-RBI game of the year, driving in a pair with a single and bases-loaded walk.
Freshmen Shine In Victory
The Pirates have welcomed in a Conference-USA high 10 freshmen this season. After having their ups and downs the first weekend, the first-year players came through in a big way Wednesday against UNC Wilmington. All 10 played and combined to go 9-22 (.409) at the plate. The class drove in four of the team's eight runs, scored six of the eight and tallied both stolen bases.
