FARMVILLE, Va. – East Carolina used a couple of big fifth innings to earn a pair of wins in a doubleheader sweep over the Longwood softball team Wednesday night at Lancer Field.
 
The Pirates sent 10 batters to the plate in a seven-run inning en route to an 8-0 win in five innings, before scoring five runs in the fifth inning of game two in a 7-4 win.
 
Senior southpaw Elizabeth McCarthy (16-24) took the loss in game one, as she pitched seven innings across the two games and gave up eight runs, six earned, on eight hits and three walks. Ranked eighth-place among the Big South strikeout leaders, McCarthy added three strikeouts in the pair of games.
 
Longwood (16-25) extends its losing streak to four games, while East Carolina (25-23) picks up its sixth straight win.
 
Jordan Clark was the lone Lancer to record multiple hits throughout the day, with both of those hits coming in the first game. Five different Lancers – Justina Augustine, Kaylynn Batten, Krista Kelly, Jessica Smith and Destiny Martinez – had one hit apiece in the doubleheader.
 
Longwood concludes its seven-game home stand with a weekend series against Charleston Southern. That series is scheduled for a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m., along with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday will also mark the final regular season game for Longwood's three seniors – Augustine, McCarthy and Jenna Carnes – before the squad will return to Lancer Field for the 2017 Big South Championship.
 


East Carolina 8, Longwood 0 (5)
East Carolina pitcher Lydia Ritchie tossed a two-hit shutout to lead the Pirates to an 8-0 win in game one of the day.
 
Ritchie struck out five and walked just one while giving up a pair of Jordan Clark singles to help the surging Pirates to their fifth straight win. In facing just three batters over the minimum, Ritchie threw 66 pitches, 45 for strikes.
 
A three-run home run from Ali Ramirez in a seven-run fifth inning was the bulk of the damage by the Pirates, who became just the second team this season to run-rule the Lancers.  
 
In that seven-run seventh, the Pirates sent a total of 10 base runners to the plate with seven players recording a hit, including a pair of round-trippers.
 
Kacie Oshiro paced a Pirate offensive onslaught that came into Wednesday's doubleheader among the top 10 in the NCAA in home runs this season with a pair of hits and a run scored. She was one of seven different Pirates to notch a hit and one of three with an extra base hit.
 
Elizabeth McCarthy took the loss, throwing five innings and giving up eight runs, six earned, on eight hits and three walks. McCarthy also added a pair of strikeouts in the outing.


 
East Carolina 7, Longwood 4
East Carolina utilized a five-run fifth inning to comeback from a 3-1 deficit on the way to a 7-4 win over Longwood in the second half of the doubleheader.
 
Mary Williams (5-11) gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in five innings to pick up the win, while Lydia Ritchie gave up one run on a Jessica Smith home run in two innings to notch her first save of the season.
 
After East Carolina took a 1-0 lead into the third inning, the Longwood offense was able to click by putting up three runs on the scoreboard. After back-to-back singles from Justina Augustine and Kaylynn Batten, Walters advanced to first on a wild pitch before moving to second on a throwing error. Augustine and Batten were able to score on the play. Walters later came around to score on a Krista Kelly single back up the middle.
 
After the Pirates tied the game with a Ramirez solo blast in the fourth inning, East Carolina sent eight batters to the plate and used a two RBI double from Tate McClellan and a three-run home run from Alex Mycek for its second big inning of the night.
 
Five different Lancers recorded a hit in the game with none louder than Jessica Smith's solo home run in the sixth inning to bring Longwood within three runs.
 
Longwood brought up the potential game-tying run to the plate in the seventh inning after Augustine was drew an eight-pitch leadoff walk and Walters was hit-by-pitch. However, a pair of strikeouts ended the threat.
 
Sydney Mundell (0-2) took the loss, giving up seven runs on nine hits and three walks in five innings. McCarthy came on to replace her and tossed two scoreless innings, allowing just one base runner.
 
#GoWood