UConn had 12 hits in a 5-2 win over Fairfield on Thursday in the team’s final regular season non-conference road game. The Stags had taken a 2-0 advantage in the second inning, but the Huskies tied the game in the third. Taylor Townsend and Lexi Gifford had back-to-back doubles and both crossed the plate on RBI singles from Jacklyn Dubois and Alyson Ambler.  UConn took the lead in the fifth when Gifford scored again, after blasting her second double of the game, advancing on a sac bunt by Alyssa Gardea and crossing the plate on a wild pitch. The Huskies scored one additional run in each the sixth and seventh innings while holding Fairfield scoreless, as they secured the 5-2 victory. UConn recorded double-digit hits for the seventh time, as Gifford and Ambler each went 3-4 at the plate. Freshman Chelsea Eckert was credited with the win, tossing 4.1 innings. Lauren Duggan earned the save after tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.  UConn (16-28) will return to the diamond on Saturday in a doubleheader against East Carolina. The three-game conference series will take place at the ECU Softball Stadium in Greenville, N.C.

A four-run seventh inning rally by East Carolina (ECU) marked the Pirates’ first win over North Carolina since 2008, as they beat the Tar Heels 4-3 in Greenville, N.C. on Thursday. ECU went scoreless for the first sixth innings, although the team tallied five hits. North Carolina scored one run in the fourth inning and added two more in the sixth, as the Tar Heels held a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore Ciara Ervin began the Pirates’ rally with a one-out single to leftfield. Karlie Smith drove in Ervin following a single by Kacie Oshiro, putting ECU on the board (3-1). With two outs Casey Alcorn singled through the left side, scoring Smith and cutting North Carolina’s lead to one (3-2). Ali Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases, which then brought pinch hitter Mary-Sloan Bradford to the plate. Bradford, who leads The American in walks, notched an RBI as she drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game 3-3. Senior Andie Johnson’s RBI single allowed Alcorn to reach home, as East Carolina took the lead 4-3 and ended the game with two outs and three runners left on base. Sophomore Lydia Ritchie earned the win after seven innings on the mound. Ervin, Oshiro, Alcorn and Ramirez recorded two hits each in East Carolina’s 10-hit total. The Pirates (14-35) will resume conference play over the weekend, hosting UConn for a three-game series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.