Pirates fall in series defining game

Courtesy of ecupirates.comThe Pirates (18-20, 2-4 AAC) took the first game of the series easily by a 9-0 mercy rule, but was unable to make a dent in the Knights’ defense in the last two matchups due to great UCF (19-16, 3-3 AAC) pitching.

Sunday’s game posed an unpredictable outcome as both the first two games were split with mercy rule decisions. In the final game of the series, it came down to a pitching duel, ultimately going the Knights’ way as they defeated the Pirates, 3-0.

Pirate pitcher Lydia Ritchie pitched a complete game and went well over her supposed pitch count of 80. She threw 117 pitches resulting in 10 hits, three runs (two earned), with four walks. She pitched in all three…