Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team suffered a 5-3 loss to the University of Delaware on Friday morning in the first game of the 2008 Spartan Classic Softball Tournament. The game was stopped after five innings due to heavy rain and deteriorating field conditions.

Katie DeSalvo led off the top of the first inning with a single to third base and then quickly stole second. She advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kim Ovittore to put Delaware (4-4) up 1-0.

The Blue Hens posted three runs in the top of the fourth to go up 4-0, but NSU (3-10) answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. Sarah Wittwer (Grand Junction, Colo.) doubled to left center to lead off the inning and later scored on an infield single by Micki Rodriguez (Newport News, Va.). Two hits and an error later, the Spartans cut Delaware's lead to 4-3.

Both teams toughed it out in the rain to complete the fifth inning so that the game would be official. Delaware scored once more in the fifth and shut out NSU to take the 5-3 win.

Samantha Shawn earned the win for Delaware after tossing five innings and allowing five hits, three runs, and striking out five. Rodriguez fell to 2-3 on the season with the loss. She gave up eight hits and five runs in five innings.

DeSalvo led the Blue Hens by going 3-for3 with an RBI and a run. Meghan Ramsey (Virginia Beach, Va.) was the only Spartan to have more than one hit. She was 2-for-2 and knocked in one run.

The 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. games at the NSU Softball Field and Marlins Field at Virginia Wesleyan have been cancelled due to rainy conditions and will not be made up.

Play will resume on both fields tomorrow if the weather permits. For more information, log on to www.nsuspartans.com.