Pirates Sweep Second Day Of Purple-Gold Invitational

Saturday, March 2

Greenville, N.C.

3:15 p.m.

East Carolina University

19-2

Youngstown State

8-6

Youngstown State

East Carolina

March 02, 2024 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina softball team is off to its best 22-game start since 2000 after defeating Youngstown State and Saint Joseph's on Saturday at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium to improve to 20-2 on the season.

Game One: East Carolina 9, Youngstown State 1 (Five Innings)
Emma Jackson went 2-for-4 at the plate including hitting two doubles as East Carolina dispatched Youngstown State 9-1 in five innings on the second day of the Purple-Gold Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

Anna Sawyer also added a double and Mary Kathryn Scott tallied a triple for the Pirates who pulled away from the Penguins in the third innings with five runs.

The Pirates' bats began to get going in the bottom of the third with three consecutive hits capped off by Sawyer's two RBI double to get the Pirates on the board 2-0. Scott's triple and Hannah Evans' single RBI would give ECU a 5-0 advantage going into the fourth frame.

Youngstown State would hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth for their lone run of the game, but the Pirates would tack on two runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth to clinch the run-rule win.

Addy Bullis (6-0) picked up the win in the circle to maintain her perfect record.

Game Two: East Carolina 4, Saint Joseph's 0
Hannah Evans and Anna Sawyer each recorded a double as East Carolina defeated Saint Joseph's 4-0 on the second day of the Purple-Gold Invitational on Saturday evening.

The Pirates jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Morgan Johnson hit a double to score Sawyer and added another run in the third inning to take a two-run lead. Malea Rolle would notch a single RBI to score Logan Sutton in the bottom of the fourth and Sawyer would hit a single RBI of her own to give the Pirates enough of a lead to secure the shutout win.

Taylor Apple (6-0) continued her strong start to her freshman campaign, tossing two strikeouts for the win.

Up Next
The Pirates will clash with Appalachian State tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. to conclude the Purple-Gold Invitational.