Gameday: Softball Makes Way To Connecticut For AAC Series

Games 41-43: at Connecticut
Series Schedule	April 13 \\\ 4:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 14 \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 15 \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Location	Storrs, Conn. (Burrill Family Field)
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Game Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU softball team plays its second road American Athletic Conference series this weekend, traveling to the University of Connecticut for a three-game set with the Huskies at Burrill Family Field.

The Pirates are 16-24 overall and 2-7 in AAC play following a 4-1 victory over Memphis Sunday in Greenville. Freshman RHP Whitney Sanford tossed a one-hitter with four strikeouts while seniors Alex Mycek and Karlie Smith each hit a home run.

ECU is hitting .231 as a team with 34 doubles, two triples and 29 home runs. Freshman Tyler King paces the unit with a .299 batting average and has rapped out a team-high 40 hits as well as five doubles and two triples. In the circle, the Pirates sport a collective 3.58 earned run average with Sanford and fellow freshman Erin Poepping combining for 114 strikeouts in 200 innings pitched. The duo sport respective 3.62 and 3.85 ERAs.

About Connecticut
The Huskies are 15-24 overall and 2-7 in AAC play entering their Wednesday non-conference contest at Boston College. Connecticut took two of three from UCF at home last weekend to secure its first league series win of the season. The Huskies are hitting .213 as a team, paced by Brian Marcelino's .274 batting average. Connecticut has produced 36 doubles and 19 home runs. In terms of pitching, the Huskies own a 3.34 team ERA. Jill Stockley has done a bulk of the work in the circle, checking in at 6-11 overall with a 2.83 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched.

The Series
ECU holds a 6-3 advantage in the series with Connecticut and has won two of the three series between the schools since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2015 campaign. The Pirates won all three contests against the Huskies last season in Greenville, completing their first-ever AAC series sweep. ECU is 1-2 in Connecticut, dropping two of three to the Huskies at Burrill Family Field in 2016.

Last Meeting (April 15, 2017)
A clutch two-out home run off the bat of Tate McClellan propelled ECU to a 2-1 victory over Connecticut at the ECU Softball Stadium. The win clinched the first series sweep in conference play for the Pirates since joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2015 campaign. McClellan was one of three Pirates to notch a hit in the contest as she accounted for a run scored and two RBI. Kacie Oshiro drew a pair of walks to reach base safely for the 13th-straight outing. Ciara Ervin and Logan Wood picked up the other two ECU base knocks. Chloe Kerns and Ryne Nakama turned in a pair of two-hit efforts for the visiting Huskies. Lydia Ritchie collected the victory in relief, tossing the final four innings and allowing just one run on five hits. She walked one batter and fanned four. Chelsea Eckert threw a complete game in defeat, coughing up two runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout.

Up Next
ECU heads to Chapel Hill April 18 for a 5 p.m. non-conference matchup with in-state opponent North Carolina at Anderson Stadium.

Gameday: Softball Makes Way To Connecticut For AAC Series

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Players Mentioned

Ciara Ervin

Tyler King

Tate McClellan

Alex Mycek

Kacie Oshiro

Erin Poepping

Lydia Ritchie

Whitney Sanford

Karlie Smith

Logan Wood

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