March 30, 2010

Gameday Central | Live Chat | Complete Game Notes In PDF Form

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina softball team (15-12) opened up Conference USA action last weekend winning two of three games against Marshall. Tuesday, the Pirates step out of league play, traveling to UNC Greensboro (13-15) for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader. So far this season, ECU is 3-0 against in-state opponents, outscoring them 34-2.

Tuesday we will also conduct another softball live chat. During the chat, fans will be able to post comments, ask questions and interact with other Pirate softball supporters. Sarah Fetters, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations, will serve as the moderator and try to provide as much information as possible throughout the two contests.

Pirates Against The Spartans ...
East Carolina leads the all-time series with UNC Greensboro 24-12. After taking a four-year break in the series, the teams resumed meeting in 2007 and have played a doubleheader each of the past three years with the Pirates winning all six of those contests by a combined score of 27-6. Prior to the 2007 games, the Spartans had won three straight against ECU.

Last year in Greenville, ECU won 4-3 and 9-0. In the opener, Toni Paisley went seven innings, allowing three hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out 13. With the score tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, Cristen Aona hit a two-run home run to send the Pirates to the victory. In the second contest, Brooke Swann gave up only three hits over five innings in the shutout win. Sarah Bibee went 2-2 with three RBI while Aona and Marina Gusman-Brown each drove in two.

Gusman-Brown Named Hitter-of-the-Week ...
During last week’s five games, Gusman-Brown was the Pirates’ leading hitter, batting .533 as she picked up a squad-best eight hits. She also led the Pirates in runs scored with seven as she crossed home plate in each of the team’s five games. As a result, she was named the Conference USA Hitter-of-the-Week.

At N.C. Central Wednesday, she drove in three runs, scored three times and picked up three base hits, including a home run. Against Marshall, she hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one to tie the contest at 3-3. ECU went on to win 4-3 in nine innings. In the finale, she led off the bottom of the first inning with her third home run in the past four games. The long ball proved to be the game-winning run in ECU’s 10-0 victory. She went on to tie her career high with three hits in the contest as she drove in three runs and scored once. For the week, Gusman-Brown posted a 1.267 slugging percentage.

Paisley Tabbed Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week ...
For the third time this season, Paisley was named the Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Week, sharing the honor this week with UCF’s Ashleigh Cole. Paisley finished the week 3-0 with a 0.69 earned run average. Facing N.C. Central Wednesday, she allowed one infield single and struck out nine. The nine strikeouts increased her career total to 665, pushing her past Courtney Blades for sixth on the all-time C-USA list.

In game one against Marshall Saturday, Paisley gave up three runs and four hits in the nine-inning effort. She also struck out 14, marking the sixth time this season she reached double digits in whiffs. In the Sunday 10-0 series-clinching victory, she surrendered three hits and struck out four. It was the 65th win of her career, tying her for seventh on the league all-time list. The shutout put Paisley in sole possession of fourth on the Pirates’ leader board as she has 28 in her career.

Tom Finds Her Swing ...
Senior shortstop Kaui Tom had been struggling at the plate entering last week, batting .135 with seven hits and three runs batted in. During the past five contests, she has turned it around, batting .375 with six hits and nine RBI. In the Sunday series finale against Marshall, she drove in a career-high four runs with a double and three-run home run.