East Carolina University
Arizona State
East Carolina Earns Split On Day Two Of Kajikawa Classic
February 14, 2016 | Softball
East Carolina 6, UC Riverside 2 
| Arizona State 9, East Carolina 1
TEMPE, Ariz. - After winning its third straight in a 6-2 victory over UC Riverside, the East Carolina softball team dropped the nightcap to No. 20 Arizona State 9-1 in five innings at Farrington Stadium as the Pirates continued play Saturday at the Kajikawa Classic.
The East Carolina (3-1) offense pounded out 11 hits in the two contests with four going for extra bases. Junior infield Megan Quick recorded two doubles, one in each game, while senior outfielder Nicole Cheek and senior catcher Kelsi Briggs notched the other pair.
In the first contest, the ECU pitching staff struck out 12 Highlander batters and limited UC Riverside to just one earned run. After not recording a save all of last season, East Carolina received its first of 2016 as junior Lydia Ritchie threw the final three innings in the victory over the Highlanders. Sophomore Ashley Cruise earned the win to improve to 2-0.
How it Happened (Game 1): UC Riverside struck first in the top of the first when Jenna Curtain led off the game with a triple and scored on a Natalie Sanchez RBI single. The Pirates attempted to answer in the home half of the inning but, after their first two runners reached base, two strikeouts and a groundout terminated the threat. Both teams were held scoreless in the second and third before East Carolina broke out offensively in the fourth. Sophomore infielder Kerry Butler and junior outfielder Ciara Ervin drew walks, bringing up Cheek for a pinch hit opportunity with two outs. She would deliver by smoking a double to the gap in right center, scoring both runners and giving ECU a 2-1 advantage it would not relinquish. Briggs and Quick posted RBI doubles in the fifth to go along with a RBI single by senior outfielder Meredith Mitchell as the Pirates extended their lead to 6-1. UCR would score an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but Ritchie closed the door with two strikeouts to end the contest in East Carolina's favor.
How it Happened (Game 2): The nationally-ranked Sun Devils were issued six walks by the Pirate pitching staff in the first inning and used them, as well as a couple of hits, to push out to a 5-0 lead after an inning. Things settled down a bit over the next few innings and ECU would find its lone run of the game thanks to a Quick double, Mitchell sacrifice bunt and Arizona State error at third base. The Pirates put two runners on with one out in the fourth but could not push another run across. The Sun Devils would add three runs in the home half of the inning and one in the fifth to seal the contest.
Bits and Pieces: East Carolina improved to 2-0 all-time against UC Riverside and dropped to 0-4 versus Arizona State … Freshman RHP Mary Williams made her collegiate debut against the Sun Devils and picked up her first strikeout in 1.1 innings of work … The Pirates matched last season's 3-1 start that stretched to 5-1 before three consecutive losses … Briggs extended her current hitting streak to a team-best three games with a base knock against Arizona State … ECU faced its first ranked opponent since falling in a doubleheader to then No. 23 James Madison April 15, 2015 … East Carolina is 3-0 so far this season with junior outfielder Kacie Oshiro playing right field and batting second in the lineup.
Up Next: The Pirates close their stay in Tempe with a single game against Nevada Sunday at 1:15 p.m. The contest will be held at Field 1 inside the Tempe Sports Complex.
