Memphis Drops C-USA Opener at East Carolina, 4-1

Saturday, March 12

Greenville, N.C.

1 PM

University of Memphis

13-5, 0-1

East Carolina

19-6, 1-0

Memphis

East Carolina

Mar 12, 2011 | Softball

Box Score

March 12, 2011

Box Score

PDF Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The University of Memphis softball team fell in its C-USA opener, losing 4-1 at East Carolina in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at the ECU Softball Stadium.

The contest began the way it had been predicted to go with a pitching duel between two of the top hurlers in C-USA in the Tigers' Carly Hummel and the Pirates' Toni Paisley. The two combined for eight strikeouts in the first two innings without allowing a hit.

But after two outs and an error that allowed ECU's Kai Clark to reach first in the bottom of the third, the Pirates scored two unearned runs on a double by Kristi Oshiro and a triple by Rebecca Lee to take a 2-0 lead.

Opponents had managed just six extra base hits off Hummel all year in 62 innings of work. East Carolina added three more to the total with three of its four hits going for extra bases. Clark later broke the game open with a two-out double in the fourth to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead.

Freshman Ashleigh King gave Memphis its only run with a two-out double to left in the top of the seventh to score Heather Mott from first. The pair was the only two Tigers to record hits in the game off Paisley.

Hummel (8-2) lasted four innings and suffered her second-straight loss. The sophomore allowed four runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Senior Janelle Valle pitched a perfect two innings in relief with two strikeouts.

Paisley (14-3) earned the victory, helping ECU win its 11-straight against the Tigers. The senior struck out 11 and allowed one run on two hits with two walks.

Memphis and East Carolina play the second game of the doubleheader today and close the three-game series with a single game on Sunday at 12 a.m. (ET).