Pirates Split Doubleheader In Fairfax

Saturday, March 16

Fairfax, Va.

3:45 p.m.

East Carolina University

16-10

Cornell

1-11

Cornell

ECU

March 16, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (PDF)Box Score (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The ECU softball team split a pair of games on the second day of the George Mason Invitational, routing Cornell 11-1 in five innings before falling to George Mason 4-3 in a bizarre eight-inning affair under the international tiebreaker rule.

The Pirates are now 16-11 overall while the Big Red drops to 1-11 and the Patriots improve to 7-11.

Whitney Sanford (6-4) pitched all five innings in the opener, surrendering just one run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Katie Lew (0-6) was touched up for seven runs (five earned) on six hits with two walks and no strikeouts.

Tyler King and Ashley Weingartz each posted two hits while Ashleigh Inae and Tate McClellan recorded three RBI apiece. Rachel McCollum also notched a hit and drove in two runs. Allison Kerce was responsible for two of Cornell's three hits.

After Sanford stranded a pair of runners on base in the top of the first, Inae plated ECU's first run via an infield single before McClellan delivered with a RBI groundout to leave the Pirates with a 2-0 advantage through one complete.

ECU poured it on in the bottom of the second, scoring five runs on four hits to pull in front 7-0. Inae drew a bases-loaded walk, McClellan hit a two-run single and a Big Red error allowed two more runs to cross the plate. The Pirates kept the pressure on in the bottom of the third. An Inae RBI groundout, Courtney Layton RBI single and McCollum RBI double pushed the lead to 10-0.

The teams capped the scoring in the fourth inning, trading solo home runs. Hanna Christ cut the ECU lead to 10-1 with a two-out shot before Pearson Yopp clubbed her first career long ball over the wall in dead center in the bottom of the frame. Sanford closed the deal in the top of the fifth, working around a leadoff walk to retire the next three batters in order.

Erin Poepping (10-7) was dealt the tough-luck loss in the nightcap, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Bekah Ansbro (4-4) was credited with the victory in the circle, throwing eight innings and giving up three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.

The Pirates took the lead in the top of the third via a three-run home run off the bat of McCollum. ECU held that 3-0 cushion until the last two innings when George Mason scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh to tie the game and send it to extras. Under the international tiebreaker (runner placed on second to start the inning), the Pirates were unable to score before a sacrifice fly plated the winning run for the hosts.

ECU is back in action Sunday, closing out the GMU Invitational with another set of contests against Cornell (1:15 p.m.) and George Mason (3:30 p.m.).