East Carolina University
Tulsa
East Carolina Softball Shutout by Tulsa, 8-0
April 12, 2015 | Softball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina softball team was limited to just one single in an 8-0 five-inning loss to Tulsa Sunday afternoon at ECU Softball Stadium. The Pirates drop to 11-32 on the year and 3-9 in American Athletic Conference action, while the Golden Hurricane improves to 26-15 overall and 8-4 in league play.
"It just wasn't our weekend," Interim head coach Steve Jaecks said. "I wasn't overly disappointed in the way the girls came out and battled today. The score doesn't necessarily look like it, but I felt like our batters got in there and battled. It just wasn't meant to be."
Sophomore right-hander Lydia Ritchie (0-4) earned the start as she kept the game scoreless until the third inning when the Golden Hurricane led off the frame with a solo home run to leftfield by Erica Sampson. The homer sparked the Tulsa offense as Maggie Withee followed with a single through the right side and would later come around to score on a wild pitch.
From there, Tulsa added two more runs on a two-run home run by Shelby Estocado in the fourth off of senior righty Sarah Christian who came on in relief of Ritchie. Ritchie suffered the loss after tossing 3.0 innings of work and allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
The Golden Hurricane broke the game open in the fifth after Christian gave up three more runs before making way for freshman right-hander Ashley Cruise. Christian pitched 1.0 inning and surrendered five earned runs on as many hits, while walking two.
Cruise got the Pirates out of the inning after allowing an unearned run as Tulsa took an 8-0 advantage over ECU. Cruise finished the game allowing one unearned run on two hits in 1.0 inning pitched.
Freshman designated player Mary-Sloan Bradford accounted for East Carolina's only hit of the ball game. She roped a two-out single through the left side in the third inning, but was left on base as the Pirates could not capitalize.
ECU's only other base runner in the game was sophomore right fielder Kacie Oshiro who was hit by a pitch in the first inning.
Tulsa's starting pitcher, Bailey Erwin (12-3) pitched a complete game one-hitter, while striking out four to earn the win. She threw 65 pitches in 5.0 innings of work.
East Carolina returns to action when it plays host to No. 25 James Madison in a mid-week, non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday, April 15 beginning at 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on ECUPirates.com.
