East Carolina University
Longwood
Longwood Sweeps Doubleheader From East Carolina
March 29, 2016 | Softball
Longwood 8, East Carolina 2 
| Longwood 6, East Carolina 2
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The East Carolina softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to Longwood Tuesday evening in a non-conference doubleheader at the ECU Softball Stadium. The Lancers took game one 8-2 in eight innings before capturing the nightcap 6-2.
Longwood (16-11) out-hit the Pirates (18-18) 22-12 in the twinbill and committed just one error between the two contests.
Sophomore third baseman Karlie Smith tallied two hits and a run scored in the first contest while Kelsey Sweeney collected a pair of hits and drove in two runs.
Elizabeth McCarthy (9-6) snagged the victory in the circle, tossing eight innings and allowing two runs on eight hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts. Junior RHP Lydia Ritchie (11-7) threw her 11th complete game of the campaign in the loss, surrendering eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.
In the second contest, senior catcher Kelsi Briggs notched two hits to pace ECU while Carly Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI.
Sydney Gay (6-4) went 5.1 innings to record her sixth victory of the season as she allowed two runs (one earned) on just three hits while walking six batters and striking out eight. Freshman RHP Mary Williams (3-7) lasted four innings and gave up four runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
How it Happened (Game 1): Both teams failed to put up a serious threat before Briggs knocked a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall as the leadoff batter to give East Carolina a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Pirates had a prime chance to extend their advantage in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore outfielder Sloan Bradford singled to center and moved to second on a wild pitch before junior second baseman Megan Quick walked to put runners at first and second with no outs. A sacrifice bunt by senior outfielder Meredith Mitchell advanced the runners into scoring position, but two strikeouts terminated the threat with no damage done. Longwood was able to knot the score in the top of the sixth with two outs on a RBI single by Adams before a pop up ended the half inning. ECU put two runners into scoring position in the bottom of the seventh with one out, looking to walk off with the win, but a pop up on the infield and a groundout to short sent the contest into the eighth frame. The Lancers put the game away quickly, scoring seven two-out runs on seven hits to assume a seven-run lead. The Pirates were able to scratch across a run in the home half to account for the final score.
How it Happened (Game 2): Longwood took a lead it would not relinquish in the top of the third on a RBI infield single by Sweeney before scoring three more in its next at bat on four hits to assume a 4-0 cushion. In the bottom of the fourth, senior outfielder Nicole Cheek was hit by a pitch with one out before junior first baseman Ali Ramirez singled to left field on a full count. Mycek then drew a walk to load the bases and Bradford drew a walk to bring home the Pirates' first run of the game. Ramirez crossed home plate on a fielder's choice to make it 4-2, but Mycek was tagged out on the play before a groundout ended the inning. A pair of solo home runs in the top of the fifth allowed the Lancers to push their lead back to four runs and neither team would score in the final two frames.
Bits and Pieces: The announced crowd of 744 represents the third largest in ECU Softball Stadium history ... East Carolina fell to 6-4 all-time against Longwood and 4-2 against the Lancers in Greenville ... Longwood's head coach, Kathy Riley, is a 1981 graduate of ECU and was the softball national player of the year in 1981 ... The Pirates fell to 4-7 at home this season while the Lancers improved to 3-6 on the road ... East Carolina dropped to 4-15 when its opponents score first in a contest ... Longwood posted 12 two-out RBI in the two games (seven in the opener).
Up Next: The Pirates resume their American Athletic Conference schedule this weekend when they take on host Tulsa in a three-game series at the Collins Family Softball Complex. Game one is scheduled for Friday (April 1) with first pitch at 6 p.m.
