ECU Softball falters in 7-2 loss to UConn

East Carolina committed four costly errors and lost a 7-2 decision to Connecticut in the middle game of an American Athletic Conference series Saturday afternoon at the ECU Softball Stadium.

The Huskies (18-27, 6-11 AAC), who defeated the Pirates (21-28, 3-14 AAC) by a 10-3 margin Friday, claimed the series after entering the weekend having dropped seven-straight league games.

Carli Cutler was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to pace the visitors while Morgan Halo was 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk for ECU.

Jill Stockley (2-8) won just her second game of the season, throwing a complete game with three strikeouts. She scattered three hits and allowed two earned runs. Erin Poepping (14-18) was saddled with the loss, giving up three unearned runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Connecticut scored the game’s first three runs with two outs in the top of the third. Ashley Esty began the rally with a leadoff infield single before a fielding error at second base put two runners on with one out. Another fielder’s choice play resulted in the second out. Poepping looked to have gotten out of the inning when Olivia Sappington hit a fly ball to left, but it eluded the Pirate fielder and reached the wall, allowing two runs to cross home. Cutler then rapped out an RBI double to leave the Huskies with a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Connecticut plated three more runs off of a bases-loaded walk and two-run Briana Marcelino single to extend its advantage to 6-0. Kelli Bates added an infield run-scoring single in the top of the seventh and East Carolina put two on the board in the bottom of the frame before the contest came to a close.

The Pirates and Huskies wrap up the series Sunday at noon.