Paisley, Pirates blank Cougars, 4-0, in CUSA Semifinals

No. 1 East Carolina will meet No. 3 UCF in Saturday’s title game

The last time the red hot East Carolina softball team lost was on April 25 when it dropped both games of a doubleheader at Houston.

Since those two losses, the Pirates (41-16) hadn’t lost coming into this afternoon semifinal match-up with the host and fifth-seeded Cougars.

Tracey Kee’s club wasted no time taking control of this one, as ECU plated three runs off Houston starter Bailey Watts in just two-thirds of an inning.

Charina Sumner led off the game by drawing a base on balls. Christina Merrida singled and Marina Gusman-Brown was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Kaui Tom. Tom walked to put the Pirates up 1-0 and a Sissy Jiminez single down the right field line made it 3-0.

Toni Paisley (29-9), who recorded her 21st shutout of the season, limited the Cougars to just four hits. UH threatened in the fourth and sixth, but Paisley and the Pirates escaped those frames without any damage being done. The junior righthander struck out six while walking just one.

Houston received a fine relief effort from Amanda Crabtree, but her 6.1 innings of quality relief—during which she allowed just a single run and two hits—went for naught as the Cougars couldn’t mount a comeback against Paisley.

The lone run Crabtree allowed was in the fifth when Charina Sumner blasted a 1-0 offering over the batter’s eye in straight away center field to give the Pirates a little insurance and extend their advantage to 4-0.

After capturing the regular season crown, East Carolina will look to take the tournament title back to Greenville on Saturday when it faces UCF at 1 p.m. (EST) on CBS College Sports.