WILMINGTON– Sophomore Kali Jones collected five hits and senior Merritt Wilkinson drove in five runs as UNCW extended its winning streak to a program-record eight straight games by sweeping a doubleheader against East Carolina at Boseman Field on Wednesday evening.
The Seahawks, who improved to 23-6-1 following the pair of victories, earned a 7-2 decision in the first game before holding off East Carolina for a 6-3 triumph in the nightcap. Meanwhile, the Pirates dropped to 17-18 on the season and have lost five of their six contests.
Jones went 5-for-7 in the twin bill with a run batted in. After posting a three-hit performance in the opener, Jones had a 2-for-3 effort in the second game with a stolen base.
Wilkinson, who collected three of the Seahawks’ 22 hits in the doubleheader, matched a career high by recording four runs batted in during the second game, including her fourth home run of the season.
Sophomore Hannah Adamczyk and junior Kelsey Bryan also registered three hits each for the Seahawks, who finished their homestand with a 14-2 mark.
Sophomore Haley Lenderman moved her record to 3-1 after throwing four innings of relief in the first game, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts. Junior Sarah Davis improved to 10-3 in the second game after giving up three runs on six hits with two strikeouts.
Game 1: UNCW broke a 2-all tie by scoring five runs in its final two trips to the plate. After taking a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Jones, the Seahawks upped the advantage to 7-2 by scoring four times in the sixth inning, including a two-run single by sophomore Hannah Adamczyk.
Game 2: The Seahawks surged to a 6-0 lead in the first six innings before East Carolina tried to mount a comeback by scoring three times in the seventh inning. Wilkinson was involved in five of the Seahawks’ six runs, scoring once while driving in four more runs.
Inside the Box Scores: UNCW was 7-for-13 in two-out situations in the first game along with advancing runners in 10-of-20 opportunities … The Seahawks’ lead-off hitter reached base safely in 6-of-12 chances … Davis induced 12 fly ball outs by the Pirates in the second game … East Carolina was a combined 1-for-15 in two-out situations.
#SeahawkStats:
- UNCW has defeated the Pirates in six consecutive meetings
- The Seahawks broke the school record for the longest win streak, which was previously seven games on three different occasions
- Davis has won her last four decisions
- The Seahawks scored in the first inning in both contests, moving to 13-0-1 on the season in those instances
- UNCW also outhit East Carolina in both games and has outhit its opponent in 23-of-30 games this season
- The Seahawks improved to 18-3 at home this year with six games remaining at Boseman Field
- UNCW also extended its streak of consecutive games without an error to seven in a row
- Wilkinson has hit safely in six straight games, marking a season high … She has also reached base safely in seven consecutive contests
- Jones moved into the team lead with eight multi-hit games and is hitting 8-for-10 in her last three contests
- The Seahawks have posted 10 or more hits in three straight games, increasing their season total to eight
- UNCW held its annual Military Appreciation Day and wore special jerseys, which were auctioned off during the doubleheader to benefit Step Up For Soldiers
- The Seahawks close their March schedule with a 16-4-1 record
Up Next: The Seahawks resume Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend with a three-game series at Elon. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1, before finishing the series with a single game on Sunday, April 2.
-Courtesy Eric Rhew, UNCW Athletics
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