Softball Makes Trek To Second-Place Houston
April 12, 2012 | Softball
April 12, 2012
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| East Carolina Games 40-41: Houston Saturday, April 14 | 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. ET Houston, Texas (Cougar Softball Stadium) |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - For the second-straight weekend, East Carolina will face Conference USA's second-place team as the Pirates (16-23, 4-8 C-USA) head to Houston for three games against the Cougars (24-15, 9-3 C-USA).
The series will also mark ECU's 2012 television debut as the first contest of Saturday's doubleheader, set for 3:00 p.m. ET, will be broadcast nationally on the FOX Sports Network. The game can be watched on these stations. Fans in Greenville can view the contest on Suddenlink's Channel 36 or 236.
Last weekend against UAB, the Pirates dropped both Friday contests, 1-0 and 5-3, but bounced back Saturday for a 4-2 win. In the opener, the teams combined for just seven hits and a third-inning solo home run by the Blazers' Erica Sisson provided the only run. During the nightcap, ECU held 1-0 and 3-1 leads, but UAB scored the game's final four runs to earn the victory. Saturday, a two-run home run in the first by senior Suzanne Riggs and a two-run single in the second by sophomore Jill Jelnick gave ECU a 4-0 lead and helped head coach Tracey Kee record the 675th victory of her career.
The Pirates Against The Cougars
Houston holds a 22-13 advantage in the all-time series and has claimed five of the last seven meetings. The 22 losses represent the most East Carolina has suffered against any Conference USA squad.
Greenville, N.C.
Freshman Alex Fieldhouse hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning, lifting East Carolina to a 1-0 victory over Houston and advancing the Pirates to their second-straight Conference USA Championship game. It was ECU's fifth-straight win in the league tournament and second consecutive season knocking out the Cougars. During the 2011 regular season, Houston handed ECU its first home C-USA series sweep since 2006, claiming 1-0, 8-0 and 5-3 victories. The Pirates lost the opener as a wild pitch by Toni Paisley in the sixth inning brought in the game's only run. During the second contest, Reina Gaber and Haley Outon each had three RBI to lead the Cougars. Houston pitchers Donna Bourgeois and Diedre Outon each allowed just a first-inning single in each Saturday contest. The Sunday finale had East Carolina take a 3-2 lead in te bottom of the fourth when Kristi Oshiro drove in a pair with a two-out single, but an unearned run in the fifth and solo home runs by Melissa Gregson and Jennifer Klinkert in the top of the 10th gave Houston the comeback win.
Two weeks after the regular-season series, the teams met in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals for the second-straight season. East Carolina knocked out the Cougars for the second consecutive campaign with a 1-0 victory as Alex Fieldhouse hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to account for the game's only run. Paisley scattered six hits and struck out three in the complete-game victory.
A Houston Hex
Playing the Cougars in Houston has been particularly tricky for ECU as it is 3-11 versus UH inside the Cougar Softball Stadium.
During its last game versus the Cougars in Houston, however, ECU came away with a 4-0 win in the 2010 Conference USA Tournament semifinals. The Pirates scored three runs in the first as Kaui Tom drew a bases-loaded walk and Sissy Jimenez hit a two-run single to right field. Paisley scattered four hits and struck out six in the triumph. Earlier in 2010, East Carolina recorded its first victory in Houston since a 6-5 eight-inning win March 11, 2006. The Pirates took the opener 1-0 behind a first-inning RBI single from Christina Merrida. Despite solo home runs by Tom, Vanessa Moreno and Jimenez, a three-RBI performance by Gregson led the Cougars to a 4-3 victory in game two. On Sunday, a three-hit, three-RBI effort by Gaber lifted UH to a 4-2 win.
Conquering The Road Fears
Not only are the Pirates heading to a town where their success has been limited, but all contests away from the ECU Softball Stadium this season have been a challenge as the team is 7-18 in road or neutral games and 3-11 in true road tilts. In its first two Conference USA road series, the Pirates have gone 0-6, being swept by Tulsa and UCF.
Get Ready To Mash
Houston (.323) and ECU (.279) own two of C-USA's top four team batting averages during league games. The two also have four of top 10 individual averages during league play - UH's Holly Anderson (6th/.400) and Gregson (9th/.371) and the Pirates' Riggs (8th/.375) and Jelnick (9th/.371).
An Offensive Boost
Through 12 Conference USA contests this season, East Carolina has six players hitting .290 or better, double the number the Pirates had at the same point a year ago. In nearly every category, ECU's offense has been more productive in C-USA action this season compared with 2011. A closer look:
| Year | Avg. | H | R | SLG% | OBP | K |
| 2012 | .279 | 89 | 52 | .364 | .384 | 46 |
| 2011 | .227 | 69 | 53 | .322 | .349 | 56 |
A Run Reduction
In last weekend's series versus UAB, the Pirates allowed only eight runs over the three games. During the previous three Conference USA series, against Tulsa, UTEP and UCF, the opponent had been able to score eight or more times in one game (Tulsa, 13; UTEP, 11; UCF, eight). Freshmen Sarah Christian and Courtney Smith combined to post a 2.67 earned run average against the Blazers after entering the series with a cumulative 4.54 ERA in league play.
Experience Up, ERA Down
The UAB series might have been the culmination of a turnaround by Christian and Smith. After a rough start to their Conference USA seasons, each has recently improved. Through Christian's first three starts in league play, she posted a 4.00 earned run average. In her last four starts, however, the Greenville native has a 1.81 ERA. Smith owned a 12.60 earned run average following her first two career C-USA starts, but in the last three the Yuba City, Calif., product has a 3.59 ERA.
That's More Like It
East Carolina went all three games against UAB last weekend without committing an error. It marked the first time this season the Pirates played errorless defense over three-straight contests.
Since committing three miscues in the first game at UCF on March 31, ECU has tallied just two errors and posted a .989 fielding percentage. The Pirates' fielding percentage after the initial clash with the Knights was .959. In the last six contests, East Carolina has not allowed an unearned run after letting in five versus the Knights in the series opener.
So Close It Hurts
Of the Pirates' eight C-USA losses this season, five have been by two or fewer runs and a sixth was a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th by Tulsa's Skylar Swanson with the game tied 2-2. During the five one or two-run setbacks, ECU has had the contest-tying run either on base or at the plate in the final inning four times. The only matchup East Carolina did not was a 7-6 walk-off win by Tulsa on March 18 in which the Pirates did not have a chance to answer. A breakdown of just how close ECU has been to tying the games:
One-Run Losses
Ended final inning with
Tying run on first: 1 time
Tying run on third: 1 time
Two-Run Losses
Ended final inning with
Tying run at the plate: 2 times
A Senior Steps Up
Senior Priscilla Velasquez recorded two of East Carolina's three hits in Friday's opener against UAB and added one more single to go along with a pair of walks in the finale Saturday.
In the last 11 games, the La Quinta, Calif., native has hit an ECU third-best .306 and stands second on the squad with eight runs batted in. Her 12 hits this year during Conference USA action tie her for the second most on the team and are five more than she had in her career's previous 34 league games.
