Sunday, March 17
Fairfax, Va.
1:15 p.m.
East Carolina University
17-11
10
vs
0
Cornell
1-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
ECU
0
0
0
1
5
1
3
10
14
0
Cornell
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
Photo by: Rob Goldberg
Pirates End George Mason Invitational With Two Victories
March 17, 2019 | Softball
FAIRFAX, Va. – The ECU softball team wrapped up a successful week on the road with a pair of wins on the final day of the Mason Invitational. The Pirates knocked off Cornell 10-0 before downing the host team George Mason 7-2.
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ECU ended the weekend with a 4-1 record and will take an 18-11 overall mark into its first American Athletic Conference series of the season at Memphis next weekend. The Big Red dropped to 1-13 with the setback in the opener while the Patriots fell to 7-12.
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Erin Poepping (11-7) was brilliant in the circle against Cornell, throwing her first complete-game shutout of the season. She scattered three hits in seven innings and struck out eight batters against no walks. Poepping needed just 84 pitches to complete the job. Lisa Nelson (0-5) surrendered six runs (all earned) on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
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Tyler King, Ashleigh Inae, Rachel McCollum, Logan Wood and Ashley Weingartz all tallied two hits apiece while McCollum drove in three runs and Morgan Halo posted two RBI.
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The teams were quiet offensively in the first three innings, but the Pirates broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the fourth thanks to a McCollum RBI double. ECU put up a five spot in the top of the fifth to extend the lead. Kendra Ziemba started the rally with a leadoff single before a pair of sacrifice bunts moved her to third base. A King single, Inae double and McCollum two-run home run made it a 5-0 contest and Weingartz capped it off with a RBI single to leave the Pirates ahead 6-0 through five complete.
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King delivered with a RBI single in the top of the sixth before ECU plated three in the top of the seventh to account for the final margin. A two-run Halo long ball and Abigail Umphlett RBI double represented the scoring. Poepping retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the shutout.
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Whitney Sanford (7-4) was the victor in the circle against George Mason, going four innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Poepping tossed three scoreless innings and struck out two batters to close it out. Haellie Gordon (1-6) was tagged with the loss after coughing up six runs (four earned) on six hits with just one strikeout in only 3.1 innings of work. The Patriot defense was poor behind her, committing five errors.
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Wood and Ziemba collected two hits apiece while Tate McClellan drove in three RBI with one swing – her team-best seventh home run of the season. A trio of George Mason batters ended up with two hits.
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Wood and Weingartz put the Pirates ahead 2-0 in the top of the first following a RBI single and a fielder's choice play that scored a run. The Patriots scratched across their first tally in the home half of the inning via a Sydnee Wells RBI single.
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ECU broke the game open in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on four hits and two more George Mason errors. Halo singled then advanced to third when Weingartz reached on an error. Tate McClellan then drilled an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left center to put the Pirates ahead 5-1. An RBI single off the bat of King left ECU with a 6-1 cushion heading to the home half of the frame.
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The Patriots answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an Alyssa Lawton RBI single, but a Ziemba RBI single stretched the Pirate cushion back to five runs. Neither side was able to plate a run in the final two innings.
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ECU ended the weekend with a 4-1 record and will take an 18-11 overall mark into its first American Athletic Conference series of the season at Memphis next weekend. The Big Red dropped to 1-13 with the setback in the opener while the Patriots fell to 7-12.
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Erin Poepping (11-7) was brilliant in the circle against Cornell, throwing her first complete-game shutout of the season. She scattered three hits in seven innings and struck out eight batters against no walks. Poepping needed just 84 pitches to complete the job. Lisa Nelson (0-5) surrendered six runs (all earned) on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
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Tyler King, Ashleigh Inae, Rachel McCollum, Logan Wood and Ashley Weingartz all tallied two hits apiece while McCollum drove in three runs and Morgan Halo posted two RBI.
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The teams were quiet offensively in the first three innings, but the Pirates broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the fourth thanks to a McCollum RBI double. ECU put up a five spot in the top of the fifth to extend the lead. Kendra Ziemba started the rally with a leadoff single before a pair of sacrifice bunts moved her to third base. A King single, Inae double and McCollum two-run home run made it a 5-0 contest and Weingartz capped it off with a RBI single to leave the Pirates ahead 6-0 through five complete.
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King delivered with a RBI single in the top of the sixth before ECU plated three in the top of the seventh to account for the final margin. A two-run Halo long ball and Abigail Umphlett RBI double represented the scoring. Poepping retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the shutout.
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Whitney Sanford (7-4) was the victor in the circle against George Mason, going four innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Poepping tossed three scoreless innings and struck out two batters to close it out. Haellie Gordon (1-6) was tagged with the loss after coughing up six runs (four earned) on six hits with just one strikeout in only 3.1 innings of work. The Patriot defense was poor behind her, committing five errors.
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Wood and Ziemba collected two hits apiece while Tate McClellan drove in three RBI with one swing – her team-best seventh home run of the season. A trio of George Mason batters ended up with two hits.
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Wood and Weingartz put the Pirates ahead 2-0 in the top of the first following a RBI single and a fielder's choice play that scored a run. The Patriots scratched across their first tally in the home half of the inning via a Sydnee Wells RBI single.
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ECU broke the game open in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on four hits and two more George Mason errors. Halo singled then advanced to third when Weingartz reached on an error. Tate McClellan then drilled an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left center to put the Pirates ahead 5-1. An RBI single off the bat of King left ECU with a 6-1 cushion heading to the home half of the frame.
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The Patriots answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an Alyssa Lawton RBI single, but a Ziemba RBI single stretched the Pirate cushion back to five runs. Neither side was able to plate a run in the final two innings.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Poepping, Erin (11-7)
L: Nelson (0-5)
Batting:
2B: Inae, Ashleigh 1 ; McCollum, Rachel 1 ; Weingartz, Ashley 1 ; Umphlett, Abigail 1
HR: McCollum, Rachel 1 ; Halo, Morgan 1
RBI: King, Tyler 2 ; Inae, Ashleigh 1 ; McCollum, Rachel 3 ; Halo, Morgan 2 ; Weingartz, Ashley 1 ; Umphlett, Abigail 1
SH: Umphlett, Abigail 1 ; Narron, Olivia 2
Base Running:
RUNS: King, Tyler 1 ; Inae, Ashleigh 2 ; McCollum, Rachel 1 ; Jarvis, Faith 1 ; Layton, Courtney 1 ; Halo, Morgan 1 ; Weingartz, Ashley 1 ; Ziemba, Kendra 1 ; Umphlett, Abigail 1
SB: Inae, Ashleigh 1 ; Jarvis, Faith 1
HBP: Wood, Logan 1 ; Weingartz, Ashley 1
Base Running:
SB: Rockstroh 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP/INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballUTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
INF
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