Delaware vs. Morehead State Boxscore

East Carolina vs. Delaware Boxscore

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The University of Delaware softball team defeated Morehead State, 3-1 in eight innings, and fell to the host Pirates, 15-1, as the Blue Hens split a pair of games Friday on the first day of the East Carolina Pirate Classic.

In the opener the Eagles, who dropped to 1-5 on the season, took the lead in the bottom of the first inning by rallying with two outs. Elizabeth Wagner singled to third base, and Rebecca Butler followed with a double to leftfield to put runners on second and third. Amber Riddle then singled to leftfield to drive home Wagner, but Blue Hen leftfielder Cecile Egan (at right) threw out Butler at the plate to keep it a 1-0 game.

Morehead State maintained its slim advantage until the top of the fifth when Delaware, which is now 2-4 on the year, pushed across a run to tie the game. With one out Lindsay Novak worked a walk, and she advanced to second when Emily Wilcox singled to third base. Jenny Richards then doubled to leftcenter, driving home Novak with the tying run. Richards’ double snapped a 24-inning scoreless streak for the Blue Hens.

Delaware had a chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh when Rachel Jones led off with a walk and pinch-runner Samantha Pettie advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Novak. Wilcox then walked, but Richards lined out to third and Pettie was doubled off second base to end the inning.

The Blue Hens broke through in the top of the eighth inning, as Richards was placed on second to start the frame and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gina Knutson. Michelle Grap then popped up for the second out of the inning but after Amanda Stacevicz walked, Egan drilled a single to rightfield to plate Richards with the go-ahead run. Stacevicz then crossed the plate when Shanette White reached on an error by Butler at third base to make it a 3-1 game.

Kayla Ashbrook was placed on second in the bottom of the frame for the Eagles, and Kayla Brill followed with a single to centerfield to put runners on the corners. A groundout by Courtney Seiler put both runners in scoring position, but Blue Hen pitcher Anne Marie Pagano got Ashley Archer to fly out to right and Wagner to ground out to second to end the game.

Pagano, who allowed just one earned run on six hits while striking out three batters, improved to 1-1 on the season. Morehead State reliever Alex Gjevre fell to 0-3 after she allowed two runs on one hit in 1.2 innings of relief.

In Delaware’s second game of the day East Carolina, which improved to 3-7, jumped out to an early lead by scoring five runs in the top of the second inning. Cicely Lopez and Charina Sumner posted RBI singles, and after Christina Merrida added a two-run double, she scored on an error by Grap.

Lopez added an RBI single in the third, while Cristen Aona crossed the plate on another Grap error. Bertie Lake replaced Stacevicz in the circle during the top of the fourth inning, but she allowed a three-run double to Priscilla Jimenez that made it a 10-0 game.

Kai Clark singled home two runs in the fifth, while RBI singles by Suzanne Riggs, Tiffany Shaw and Lopez concluded the scoring for the Pirates.

Delaware loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth as Egan singled, White reached on an error, and Mary Ann Magee singled. Egan then scored on a passed ball to put the Blue Hens on the board.

East Carolina pitcher Toni Paisley improved to 3-4 after throwing three perfect innings for the Pirates. Stacevicz, who fell to 0-3 for Delaware, allowed seven runs, five earned, in three innings while Lake gave up eight runs in two innings of relief.

The 15 runs allowed were the most given up by the Blue Hens since a 15-3 loss to Hofstra on April 18, 1992.

Delaware continues play at the Pirate Classic on Saturday with a 12 noon game against Penn State.