Back-to-back: Pirates capture CUSA Tourney crown with 4-1 win over Tulsa

East Carolina earns the league’s automatic NCAA berth for consecutive years

Priscilla Velasquez drove in four runs and Toni Paisley turned in her third complete game in as many days to lead No. 5 East Carolina to a 4-1 victory over No. 2 Tulsa in the CUSA Tournament title game on Saturday afternoon at the ECU Softball Stadium.

The Pirates (39-20), who took two of three from Tulsa earlier in the season, will be making their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons.

ECU jumped on top in its first at-bat.

Kristi Oshiro started things with a one-out single. The bases were full of Pirates following two-out singles by Lewis and Robbins and Velasquez got her first rbi of the day when she drew a walk.

Tulsa (43-13) also loaded the bases in the first. Jill Barrett singled with one out. Paisley plunked Cobb and walked Middlebrooks to juice the bases, but was able to get out of the jam unscathed.

The Pirates added to their lead in the third.

Golden Hurricane starter Jordan Kinard, who dropped to 9-7 with the loss, walked Fieldhouse and Robbins before giving up a three-run, two-out shot to Velasquez that made it 4-0.

Aimee Creger pitched the last four innings for Tulsa and didn’t surrender a run while scattering four hits.

However, the Golden Hurricane would get just three hits off Paisley and they couldn’t mount a rally.

Their lone run came in the fourth on Chapman’s solo homer.

East Carolina will now await their NCAA Tournament destination.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Softball Selection Show will air on ESPNU at 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Stay tuned to cusa-fans.com to see where the Pirates and other CUSA teams will be headed for regional play.

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