East Carolina University
Yale
Offense Powers ECU To Pair Of Wins In Florida
February 27, 2016 | Softball
East Carolina 8, North Florida 4 
| East Carolina 7, Yale 2
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The East Carolina softball team pounded out 25 hits in two games Saturday, defeating North Florida 8-4 and Yale 7-2 on day two of the Citrus Classic II at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The Pirates improve to 10-6 overall and have won three-straight games as well as seven of their last 10.
Junior RHP Lydia Ritchie threw her fourth complete game of the campaign in the win over the Bulldogs as she allowed just one earned run and struck out three batters. Lindsay Efflant took the loss to drop to 0-3 overall after giving up four runs on seven hits in four innings.
Junior outfielder Casey Oshiro and senior shortstop Casey Alcorn tallied three hits apiece against Yale while Alcorn also drove in a pair of runs. Shelby Kennedy led the Bulldogs offensively with a pair of base knocks.
Sophomore RHP Ashley Cruise notched her third victory of the season to improve to 3-3 overall as she tossed seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts against one walk. Cruise also surrendered just three hits. Freshman RHP Mary Williams was charged with four runs (one earned) as she did not record an out. Logan Green fell to 2-5 overall, giving up five runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.
Sophomore third baseman Karlie Smith and senior second baseman Megan Quick tallied three hits apiece against North Florida. Smith added two runs scored and a pair of RBI while Quick drove in three runs of her own. Junior first baseman Ali Ramirez also crossed the plate three times to go along with a hit, a RBI and two walks.
How it Happened (Game 1): Batting as the visiting team, ECU put up a two-out run in the top of the first thanks to a Smith RBI single. Cruise mowed down the North Florida lineup through the first three innings before the Pirates added two in the top of the fourth. Ramirez led off with her second home run of the weekend before senior outfielder Meredith Mitchell tacked on a RBI single of her own to leave the Purple and Gold with a 3-0 advantage. The Ospreys put up their first threat in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. However, Cruise induced a foul out to left field to preserve the shutout. Smith added to the lead in the top of the fifth as she smoked the first pitch she saw over the left field fence to make it a 4-0 ball game. Senior outfielder Nicole Cheek also joined in the hit parade, lacing a RBI single to center that scored Ramirez for a five-run East Carolina advantage. After a pitching change in the top of the sixth, UNF used four walks, a hit and a Pirate error to score four runs and pull back within one. Cruise returned to put out the fire and did not allow a further runner to cross the plate. Having stolen back the momentum, ECU put the game away in the top of the seventh with a three-run home run by Quick to provide the final margin.
How it Happened (Game 2): The teams traded runs in the first inning before Cheek gave East Carolina the lead for good with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third. A two-run double by Alcorn in the bottom of the fourth gave ECU some breathing room and the Pirates would put the Bulldogs away for good in the bottom of the fifth. Ramirez singled and Cheek doubled to lead off before senior catcher Kelsi Briggs notched a RBI single and junior outfielder Ciara Ervin delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. Mitchell capped off the Pirate scoring with a RBI single to right field and Yale added an unearned run in the seventh for the 7-2 final score.
Bits and Pieces: East Carolina improved to 2-1 all-time against both North Florida and Yale … After winning just 16 games a season ago, the Pirates have already reached 10 in the month of February … ECU notched a season-high 13 hits against the Ospreys and followed it up with their second-highest total of the year - 12 versus the Bulldogs … ECU upped its season home run total to 11 and has four players currently with multiple long balls … Sophomore Rebecca Perrell made her first appearance of the season as a pinch hitter in the North Florida contest and came through with a double to left field … East Carolina improved to 5-2 overall at neutral sites.
Up Next: The Pirates will close out their participation in the Citrus Classic II by taking on Morgan State Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
