Gameday: Softball Hosts NC State Wednesday In Non-Conference Finale

Game 48: NC State
Schedule	April 25 \\\ 5:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch (Free)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (ECU Softball Stadium)
Tickets	ECU Online Ticket Center
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Game Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU softball team plays its final non-conference game of the 2018 campaign Wednesday, hosting in-state foe NC State for a 5 p.m. first pitch in Greenville.

The Pirates are 21-26 overall after winning two of three over American Athletic Conference leader USF at home over the weekend, handing the Bulls their first series loss in league play this season. ECU was one strike away from winning the opener before USF rallied with five two-out runs in the top of the seventh. The Pirates responded with a pair of 3-2 victories Saturday and Sunday to clinch the set. The Bulls were receiving top 25 votes last week.

ECU is hitting .235 as a team with 41 doubles, two triples and 35 home runs. Freshman outfielder Tyler King paces the unit with a .289 batting average and has rapped out a team-high 46 hits as well as six doubles and two triples. In the circle, the Pirates sport a collective 3.50 earned run average with freshmen Erin Poepping and Whitney Sanford combining to throw 242.2 of ECU's 314 innings. The duo has struck out 134 batters between them and boasts respective 3.49 and 3.61 ERAs.

About NC State
The Wolfpack dropped all three games at Syracuse over the weekend and have lost six of their last seven to enter Wednesday's contest at 22-25 overall. NC State is hitting .259 as a team, paced by Cheyenne Balzer's .305 batting average. The Wolfpack have produced 52 doubles, seven triples and 31 home runs. In terms of pitching, NC State owns a 2.96 team ERA. Devin Wallace has done a bulk of the work in the circle, compiling an 11-13 record and 2.84 ERA with 123 strikeouts and 94 walks in 167.2 innings pitched.

The Series
NC State leads the all-time series over ECU 12-7, but the teams have split the last 14 meetings. The Pirates are 2-6 against the Wolfpack in Greenville.

Last Meeting (March 22, 2016)
The ECU softball team scored seven unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings to record a 7-4 road victory over NC State at the Dail Softball Stadium. The Pirates out-hit the Wolfpack by an 11-7 margin while the teams combined for 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. ECU left 13 runners on base as compared to nine on the NCSU side. Meredith Mitchell had a solid all-around effort, going 3-for-4 with three RBI while also making some spectacular defensive plays all around the grass. A total of seven Pirate batters recorded a hit with Karlie Smith and Nicole Cheek picking up two apiece. Hanna Sommer paced the Wolfpack with two hits and two RBI. Lydia Ritchie earned the win in the circle going the full seven innings and surrendering three runs on five hits with five walks and six strikeouts. Courtney Mirabella was tagged with the loss after a 5.2-inning effort during which she allowed six runs on eight hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Up Next
ECU wraps up its home schedule this weekend when it hosts AAC newcomer Wichita State for a three-game set. Friday's series opener is slated for 6 p.m.

Gameday: Softball Hosts NC State Wednesday In Non-Conference Finale

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Players Mentioned

Tyler King

Erin Poepping

Lydia Ritchie

Whitney Sanford

Karlie Smith

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