ECU Downs Virginia Tech To Earn Split On Day Two Of Pirate Invitational

Saturday, February 25

Greenville, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

6-6

Virginia

7-8

Virginia

East Carolina

ECU Downs Virginia Tech To Earn Split On Day Two Of Pirate Invitational

February 25, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Virginia Box Score (PDF)Virginia Tech Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After dropping a 7-3 decision to Virginia Saturday to open the second day of the Pirate Invitational at the ECU Softball Stadium, East Carolina rebounded with an entertaining 2-1 victory over Virginia Tech in the nightcap.

Seton Hall began the day with a 4-2 victory over the Cavaliers before the visiting Pirates defeated Coppin State 10-1 in game two. The Hokies also picked up a 10-0 win over the Eagles in the fourth contest of Saturday's slate.

The Pirates (7-6) are now 6-2 on their current 10-game homestand with contests against Coppin State and North Carolina remaining on the docket.

The Rundown: Game One
Virginia (7-8) broke open a close game with three runs in the top of the sixth and blanked East Carolina the rest of the way to preserve its second win of the weekend.

A quartet of Pirates collected one hit apiece while senior outfielder Ciara Ervin and junior infielder Meredith Burroughs recorded a RBI each. A total of eight different Cavalier batters notched a hit as the Virginia offense was buoyed by two-RBI performances from Allison Davis and Madison Labshere.

Sophomore RHP Mary Williams (1-3) took the loss in the circle as she surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. Lexi Mettler (2-2) tossed a complete game, allowing three runs on three hits. She walked three and struck out one.

The Decisive Sequence
After ECU plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within 4-3, Danni Ingraham took a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left field to extend the Cavalier advantage to 5-3. Davis put the exclamation mark on the inning later with a two-run triple to provide the game's final margin.

Statistic of the Game
Virginia was 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position while East Carolina managed just one hit in four such opportunities.

The Rundown: Game Two
A pitchers' duel went the way of the Pirates as senior RHP Lydia Ritchie tossed a gem in the one-run ECU victory.

Senior outfielder Ali Ramirez recorded two hits in three at bats while freshman utility player Logan Wood clubbed her first collegiate home run which ended up as the game-winning tally. Virginia Tech was limited to three hits with Emma Strouth accounting for the Hokies' solitary score.

Ritchie (5-3) posted a season-high eight strikeouts in the contest to bring her career total to 250 and move into sole possession of ninth place on the program career chart. In her last six appearances, she owns a 4-2 record and has twirled a miniscule 1.34 earned run average with 21 strikeouts. Carrie Eberle (3-2) threw six innings as the losing pitcher, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

The Decisive Innings
With ECU riding a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning, Wood stepped up and deposited a first-pitch bomb deep over the left field fence to afford the Purple and Gold some insurance at 2-0. In the top of the seventh, after a sacrifice fly cut the Pirate lead to 2-1, Ritchie slammed the door shut by striking out pinch hitter Taylor Clark to end the game.

Statistic of the Game
Ritchie got ahead of the Hokie hitters for a majority of the evening, throwing first-pitch strikes on 21 of 27 batters she faced.

Up Next
East Carolina closes out the Pirate Invitational Sunday with a matchup against Coppin State. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.