GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina softball team earned a split on day one of the Pirate Invitational, outlasting Monmouth 2-1 in the first game before falling to Maryland 5-0 in the final game of the day on Friday evening at Max R. Joyner Stadium.

WNCT Sports Talk: ECU Softball off to best start since 2005

The Pirates (14-4) will face Monmouth at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow and will close out the day against Saint Joseph’s at 3 p.m.

Game One: East Carolina 2, Monmouth 1
Taylor Edwards went 2-for-3 at the plate to continue her hot start to the season for the Pirates and ECU would need every little bit of offense to outlast the Hawks. Jordan Hatch (6-2) tossed six strikeouts for the win while Kylie Gletow (0-3) gave up six hits for the loss despite throwing seven strikeouts.

After two innings where both teams combined for just a single hit, the Pirates would break the score in the bottom of the third inning after Joie Fittante hit a two RBI single to score Taudrea Sinnie and Edwards and put ECU up 2-0.

ECU would miss opportunities to extend its lead, leaving two runners on base in the fifth and one on in the six inning and Monmouth would make the Pirates sweat a little with an RBI double to make the score 2-1. Hatch would strike out the Hawks’ next batter with the potential game-tying run on second to seal the win for the Pirates.

Game Two: Maryland 5, East Carolina 0
Both teams would miss out on scoring runs early with the Pirates leaving two on base in the bottom of the third and the Terps leaving two on base in the top of the first and second innings. 

Maryland would break through in the fifth inning with two unearned runs off of a Pirate error and would add three more runs off of four more hits to put the game out of reach. ECU was unable to get its offense rolling only recording three hits on 23 at bats.

Addy Bullis (8-1) took her first loss with three earned runs in 5.2 innings in the circle while Trin Schlotterbeck (6-1) earned the win for Maryland.