Memphis 2, ECU 1 (Game 1); Memphis 10, ECU 1 (Game 2)
Memphis picked up two wins at ECU Friday afternoon, capitalizing on defensive miscues to take game one by a score of 2-1 in eight innings before watching their bats come alive for a 10-1 victory in game two. The Tigers and the Pirates will not play a game on Saturday due to the potential for weather, and will conclude the series on Sunday morning. The two squads played seven innings of scoreless ball before the first run crossed the plate in game one. With runners on second and third, a wild pitch combined with an error by the ECU catcher led to two Memphis base runners scoring. ECU fought back in the bottom half of the inning, but a strong throw from Baylee Smith in left field to home plate beat the game-tying runner to end the contest. Alex Mycek and Kendra Ziemba each finished with two hits for the Pirates in the loss.
Memphis scored four runs on five hits to get the bats rolling in game two, including Kendall Lee's second career triple. The Tigers tacked on two more in the fourth and four in the seventh to build upon their lead over the Pirates. Tyler Johnson hit her first home run of the season in the four-run seventh. ECU strung together a pair of hits and a walk in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring one run and breaking up Mariah Nichols' no-hitter. The one run proved to be the only Pirate base runner to cross the plate in game two. Ashley Weingartz's single and Logan Wood's RBI base hit, both in the fifth, were the two ECU hits.
Houston 9, USF 1
Houston rallied to score nine runs in the top of the seventh inning to win 9-1 in the series opener at USF on Friday night. In the circle, Savannah Heebner scattered four hits and one unearned run while walking none and recording two strikeouts in a complete-game win for the Cougars, while Arielle James and Maya Thomas each turned in 3-for-4 performances. In the seventh, Kelli Montgomery gave Houston a 3-1 lead with a two-run double, and pinch-hitter Caela Kincade capped the scoring with a three-run home run, the first of her career, to left center. USF took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Macy Cook led off with a double down the right field line and pinch runner Jasmine Haynes later scored on Cassidy Boyle's sacrifice fly. AnaMarie Bruni went 2-for-2 in the loss for the Bulls.