Feb. 19, 2011

East Carolina Games 9-10: Hofstra and Kent State
Date	Saturday, Feb. 19
Times	3:00 and 5:00 p.m. ET
Location	Greenville, N.C. (ECU Softball Stadium)
Tickets	Ticket Central
Game Notes	East Carolina
Statistics	East Carolina | Hofstra | Kent State
Internet Coverage	Hofstra Gametracker | Kent State Gametracker  Hofstra Watch Live |  Kent State Watch Live Pirate Classic Central | Live Chat
Mobile Connect	Live Chat for Mobile Devices
Pirate Softball Central	Gameday Central | Roster  Interactive Guide Conference USA Softball | NCAA Softball

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina started the Pirate Classic with a 1-1 record, defeating Virginia 3-0 and falling to St. John's 6-5 in nine innings Friday afternoon. The Pirates continue action Saturday afternoon with games at approximately 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. against Hofstra (4-1) and Kent State (2-4), respectively.

Pirates Taking On Hofstra
The Pirates and Pride have split the two meetings in series history with ECU falling 5-1 May 14, 1994, and claiming a 5-2 win March 7, 1997. The first contest was part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship and eliminated the Pirates.

The latter meeting was part of the USF Classic in Tampa, Fla. Jamie Bendle recorded the win as she scattered nine hits and struck out two over seven innings. Rhonda Rost went 2-4 and scored twice, Isonette Polonius was 2-4 with a run scored and one driven in and Sharolyn Strickland had two RBI.

ECU Against Kent State
East Carolina owns an 8-2 advantage against Kent State and has won the last five meetings. The Golden Flashes claimed a 2-0 victory March 25, 1995, and a 3-0 win March 26, 1996. The programs last met at the Carolina Classic Feb. 9-10, 2008, with the Pirates winning 2-1 and 3-2.

In the opening contest, Paisley scattered five hits and struck out 13 during the complete-game effort. Sumner and Moreno drove in runs for the Pirates. Paisley was victorious again in the second game, going seven innings and allowing three hits and the pair of runs. All of ECU's runs came via home runs as St. Ledger hit two solo shots and Jessica Johnson added one.

Paisley Sets Strikeout Mark
During last night's contest against St. John's senior Toni Paisley struck out four batters after fanning eight in the opener against Virginia to become the East Carolina and Conference USA career leader. Paisley has struck out 949 batters, one more than 2007 teammate and former coach Keli Harrell tallied in her career. Paisley and Harrell are the only pitchers in league history with 900 or more whiffs.

Paisley struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth against the Red Storm to reach the record. Michelle Tilson's whiff gave the Lakewood, Calif., native the all-time mark.

Production At The Top
So far in 2011, Pirate batters have excelled when leading off an inning. In 54 opportunities to start a frame, East Carolina hitters have reached base 26 times (48.1% success rate). Freshman Rebecca Lee has reached in all four of her opportunities, classmate Alex Fieldhouse has gotten on in four of her five chances and freshman Kristi Oshiro has reached five of her eight times starting an inning.

On the other hand, the ECU pitching staff has held opponents to a 20.8 percent success rate when leading off a frame (11-53).

Runners Wanting To Come Home
During opening weekend, ECU struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, going 2-30 (.067) in those situations. Junior Suzanne Riggs had both of those hits. Wednesday against UNC Wilmington, the Pirates turned the tables with seven hits in 18 opportunities (.389). Freshman Jasmine Robbins led the way with a 2-2 performance with runners in scoring position.

Yesterday against Virginia and St. John's, the Pirates batted .229 with runners in scoring position. Oshiro (2-4) and junior Priscilla Velasquez (2-6) were the leading producers in those situations.

Pirates Are Stealing
Heading into the 2011 season, head coach Tracey Kee and associate head coach Natalie Kozlowski both believed a strength of the team was going to be speed. So far, the Pirates have proved the pair right, at least in terms of stolen bases.

Through the first eight games, ECU has swiped 14 bags in 17 chances. Oshiro (twice) and Robbins (once) are the only two Pirates to be caught. The 11 swipes are also in sharp contrast to 2010, when East Carolina stole just four bases through the first eight games.