WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Looking to get back above the .500 mark, Coach
Kristy Norton and the UNCW softball team will complete a seven-game homestand Wednesday afternoon by hosting East Carolina for a pair of non-conference games at Boseman Field.
First pitch between the Seahawks and the Pirates is slated for 4:00 p.m. and live stats for both games will be available by visiting
www.UNCWStats.com. In addition, the games will be broadcast on the Seahawk Digital Network beginning at 3:45 p.m.
Wednesday's doubleheader will also be Youth Sports Day at Boseman Field. All youth wearing a Wilmington Fastpitch jersey will be admitted for free.
Now 11-11 on the season, the Seahawks will be trying to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Pirates on Wednesday. UNCW opened its Colonial Athletic Association schedule against Hofstra and dropped all three games against the Pride.
Freshman
Sarah Davis (Walter Williams H.S./Burlington, N.C.) continues to lead the Seahawks offensively with a .343 batting average and 23 hits. She has also driven in a team-high 13 runs with six extra-base hits. Meanwhile, sophomore outfielder
Merritt Wilkinson (Western Alamance H.S./Burlington, N.C.) has increased her batting average to .288 after collecting eight hits in the last six games.
Currently 8-23 on the season, the Pirates have dropped 11 of their last 12 games after being swept in a three-game American Athletic Conference series against No. 20 Central Florida over the weekend. East Carolina, which has lost five consecutive games, has not scored a run in its last 25 innings.
Sophomore
Kacie Oshiro (Mililani H.S./Mililani, Hawai'i) is the Pirates' leading hitter with a .313 average while junior
Meredith Mitchell (Dunlap, Tenn.) has posted a .307 mark with 23 hits and nine runs scored. Senior
Sarah Christian (D.H. Conley H.S./Greenville, N.C.) is the top pitcher for East Carolina, boasting a 2.91 earned run average with 46 strikeouts in 20 appearances.
East Carolina leads the all-time series by an 80-15 margin and has won three of the last five meetings. The teams split a pair of games in 2013 at the ECU Softball Stadium.
After Wednesday's doubleheader, the Seahawks will return to their CAA slate with a three-game series at Delaware this weekend. UNCW will play a doubleheader against the Blue Hens on Saturday before wrapping up the series with a single game on Sunday.
Tickets for Wednesday's doubleheader or any remaining UNCW home game may be purchased by calling the UNCW ticket office at 800-808-UNCW or by visiting the Tickets page at UNCWSports.com.
