ECU Softball routs Stony Brook 16-3 in five innings

HARRISONBURG, Va. – ECU produced season highs in runs and hits Saturday, blowing past Stony Brook 16-3 in five innings at Veterans Memorial Park in the Pirates’ second game of the JMU Invitational.

Team Records

ECU: 12-16

Stony Brook: 7-9

How It Happened: After a scoreless first inning, the Pirate offense went to work in the top of the second. Junior outfielder Ashley Weingartz drew a leadoff walk and promptly scored on a double by senior infielder Karlie Smith. Freshman outfielder Tyler King made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly before freshman infielder Ashleigh Inae got a hold of a 3-1 pitch and drove it out of the park for a two-run home run that made the score 4-0. Senior infielder Meredith Burroughs added her team-leading eighth home run of the campaign for good measure before the inning ended, leaving ECU with a 5-0 advantage.

The Purple and Gold really put the game away in the top of the third, exploding for seven runs on four hits. Redshirt sophomore Tate McClellan provided the big blow via a three-run homer that capped the inning scoring and put the Pirates on top 12-0. King also recorded a two-run triple in the frame.

After the Seawolves cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with a Katelyn Corr RBI single, ECU responded with four runs in the top of the fifth thanks to a two-run single by sophomore Logan Wood and a two-run home run off the bat of McClellan. Taylor Pechin hit a two-run long ball in the bottom of the fifth to account for the game’s final 13-run margin.

Pitchers of Record

WP – Whitney Sanford (4-7)

LP – Taylor Pechin (3-3)

ECU Top Performers

Tate McClellan: 3-for-3, 2 Runs, 5 RBI, 2B, 2 HR

Ashleigh Inae: 2-for-4, 2 Runs, 3 RBI, HR

Tyler King: 2-for-3, Run, 3 RBI

Stony Brook Top Performers

Katelyn Corr: 2-for-2, RBI

Taylor Pechin: 1-for-2, Run, 2 RBI

Things to Note

ECU upped its season home run total to 20 and has hit 84 since the start of the 2017 season.

The Pirates moved to 4-0 all-time against Stony Brook.

ECU has won three in a row and six of its last seven.

McClellan extended her current hitting streak to seven games.

The Pirates recorded their most RBI (16) in a single contest since March 4, 2017 in an 18-4 win over Portland State.

Up Next: ECU closes out the JMU Invitational Sunday with a pair of games against Stony Brook (8:30 a.m.) and the host Dukes (12:30 p.m.)