North Carolina Rallies Late To Edge ECU 4-3 In Chapel Hill

Wednesday, April 18

Chapel Hill, N.C.

5:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

19-25

North Carolina

26-21

ECU

North Carolina

North Carolina Rallies Late To Edge ECU 4-3 In Chapel Hill

April 18, 2018 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – ECU took the lead in the fifth inning Wednesday night in Chapel Hill, but North Carolina rallied with three unanswered runs to capture a 4-3 non-conference victory inside Anderson Stadium.

Team Records
ECU: 19-25
North Carolina: 26-21

How it Happened
North Carolina scored the game's first run when Destiny DeBerry laid down a bunt single and stole second before moving to third on a single and stealing home. ECU tied the contest in the top of the fourth with two outs when redshirt sophomore Tate McClellan smashed a 1-2 offering over the right center field fence. After keeping the Tar Heels off of the board in the bottom of the fourth, the Pirates vaulted into the lead in the top of the fifth. With runners at the corners and two outs, freshman Tyler King ripped a double into the gap in right center to score a pair and give ECU a 3-1 advantage.

North Carolina rallied in the bottom of the fifth for two runs thanks in large part to a pair of Pirate errors and knotted the score at three before Brittany Pickett provided the winning tally with a solo home run to lead off the home half of the sixth. The Pirates got a runner aboard in the top of the seventh before strikeout and lineout ended the contest.

Pitchers of Record
WP – Brittany Pickett (24-8)
LP – Erin Poepping (9-12)

Top ECU Performers
Kendra Ziemba: 2-for-3, Run
Tyler King: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B
Tate McClellan: 1-for-3, Run, RBI, HR

Top North Carolina Performers
Leah Murray: 2-for-3, RBI
Megan Dray: 2-for-3
Brittany Pickett: 7.0 IP, 3 Runs, 7 Hits, Walk, 5 Strikeouts, /// 1-for-3, Run, RBI, HR

Things to Note

The Pirates dropped to 35-53 against the Tar Heels in the all-time series.
McClellan hit her ninth home run of the season, the second most on the squad.
All three of ECU's RBI occurred with two outs on the board.

Up Next: The Pirates begin a seven-game homestand Friday (April 20) when they host USF in the opener of an American Athletic Conference series at the ECU Softball Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.