ECU Hosts UCF In Title Game Rematch
April 08, 2011 | Softball
April 8, 2011
| East Carolina Games 40-41: UCF | |
| Date | Saturday, April 9 |
| Times | 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (ECU Softball Stadium) |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| Statistics | East Carolina | UCF |
| Internet Coverage | Game 1 Gametracker |  Game 1 Watch Live Game 2 Gametracker | Game 2 Watch Live Live Chat |
| Mobile Connect | Live Chat for Mobile Devices |
| Pirate Softball Central |
Gameday Central | Roster |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina (28-11, 8-4 C-USA) returns home after four-straight road games for three contests against UCF (13-22, 3-6 C-USA). The series will be a rematch of the 2010 Conference USA Tournament championship game, which the Pirates won 3-1.
Wednesday at UNC Wilmington, East Carolina's four-game winning streak was snapped with a 2-1 setback as the Seahawks' Caitlin Cavarra hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning. ECU freshman Rebecca Lee drove in classmate Jasmine Robbins with a single in the top of the fourth, but the Pirates could not hold on for the victory. Freshman Kristi Oshiro also chipped in with two hits. Junior Faith Sutton took the loss, but both runs were unearned.
The Pirates Against The Knights
The teams have a brief history as the series began in 2006 when UCF joined C-USA. East Carolina owns a 16-2 advantage and has won the last seven meetings while outscoring the Knights 24-1. In addition, ECU is 6-0 at home versus UCF.
Last season, the Pirates claimed their first Conference USA Tournament championship with a 3-1 victory over the Knights. UCF's Natalie Land scored in the top of the first on a throwing error by Kai Clark, but ECU answered with two runs in the bottom of the second as Priscilla Velasquez's sacrifice fly drove in the winning run. Toni Paisley allowed three hits and struck out six en route to claiming tournament MVP honors.
Earlier in 2010, ECU recorded 2-0, 2-0 and 6-0 victories in Orlando. In the opener, Sissy Jimenez drove in a run with a second-inning single and Kaui Tom added the insurance tally with a sixth-inning home run. The second game was scoreless until the top of the eighth, when Vanessa Moreno and Cristen Aona each hit an RBI single. The Sunday finale had the Pirates score an unearned run in the first and Charina Sumner hit a three-run long ball in the top of the third. Paisley recorded all three wins as she gave up 11 hits in 17.1 innings pitched.
Runs At A Premium
The series between ECU and UCF has been dominated by pitching. The Pirates are averaging 3.3 runs per game while the Knights have been held to just 1.4 runs a contest. East Carolina has held the upper hand recently, as UCF's last earned run came in the bottom of the sixth of the March 9, 2008, contest in Orlando.
One For The Tie, Two For The Lead
Paisley won both of her starts at Southern Miss last weekend, giving her 107 career victories. She is one triumph shy of tying DePaul's Lindsay Chouinard (2000-03) for the all-time Conference USA record.
Two victories over Marshall on March 19 were Paisley's 102nd and 103rd of her career, pushing her past Jenny Parsons (1990-93/102) for the all-time East Carolina record.
As If Four Wasn't Enough
This weekend when Paisley takes the circle against UCF, it will be her fifth career series against the Knights. Her two-inning appearance March 9, 2008, was her last of the year before being sidelined due to an injury. Paisley's numbers against UCF are among her best against any opponent. A closer look at her career numbers against the upcoming foe:
| Year | ERA | W-L | IP | H | ER | BB | SO |
| 2010 | 0.00 | 4-0 | 24.1 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| 2009 | 0.00 | 3-0 | 15.1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 2008 | 1.00 | 2-0 | 14.0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2007 | 0.00 | 2-0 | 19.0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Totals | 0.19 | 11-0 | 72.2 | 36 | 2 | 15 | 54 |
Multiple Runs Batted In
Junior Suzanne Riggs collected a trio of two-RBI games at Southern Miss last weekend, giving her nine contests driving in two or more runs this season. Since the start of the 2005 campaign, only seven times has a Pirate had 10 or more multiple-RBI games during a season. Jessica Johnson (2007) and Kate Manuse (2005) are tied for the lead during the span with 16 contests delivering two or more runs.
Watch Out, She's Back
Lee had a .410 batting average heading into the March 9 doubleheader at Maryland. After struggling through a 4-35 spell, her average dropped to .270 entering last weekend. During the dry spell, she scored just twice and had two RBI.
After sitting for the opener against the Golden Eagles, Lee went 1-3 in game two, scored twice and drove in a run. Sunday, she crossed home two more times and stole two bases. At UNC Wilmington Wednesday, she continued to bounce back, driving in ECU's only run and again stealing two bags.
Better Than Before? A Scary Thought
Paisley became East Carolina's third All-America selection in program history last season, but has posted even better numbers so far this year. Through 39 games in both 2010 and 2011, Paisley threw exactly 169.1 innings. A closer look at the comparison of her last two seasons after 39 games:
| Year | ERA | W-L | H | R | BB | SO |
| 2011 | 1.12 | 21-5 | 97 | 35 | 25 | 232 |
| 2010 | 1.32 | 18-8 | 90 | 39 | 37 | 225 |
The Other Half Of A Dominant Duo
Sutton is the other component of ECU's strong pitching staff. Through 39 games in 2010, Sutton had a 2.86 ERA, but has lowered it to 2.33 this season. In Conference USA action, the increase in her production has been more noticeable. A closer look at Sutton's first four C-USA starts the last two seasons:
| Year | ERA | W-L | H | R | BB | SO |
| 2011 | 1.88 | 1-2 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 26 |
| 2010 | 4.33 | 1-2 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 16 |
Scoring Despite Two Outs
East Carolina scored 19 runs at Southern Miss last weekend, largely due to production with two outs. For the series with two outs the Pirates: scored 14 times, batted .323 and tallied 12 two-out runs batted in. On the other hand, the Golden Eagles batted .043 with two down and had one run.
For the season, ECU has scored 162 runs, 80 with two outs. That amounts to 49.4 percent of the team's total.
Approaching 30 Again
Entering this weekend's series, East Carolina has recorded 28 wins this season. Two more victories and the Pirates will collect 30 or more for the eighth-straight year and 19th time in the last 20 seasons. The only campaign ECU failed to reach 30 triumphs during the stretch was in 2003, when the squad went 24-31.
