Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – A wild seventh inning that saw the Norfolk State softball team rally for four runs and Hampton leave the bases loaded gave the Spartans a doubleheader sweep of the Pirates, 6-5, following NSU's 5-3 win in the first game Thursday afternoon at the HU Softball Stadium.

Down 5-2, NSU made a comeback in the seventh, highlighted by junior Whitney Holland's two-run double, while Hampton had runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Elizabeth Castaneda recorded a pair of strikeouts and escaped the jam for the win, NSU's sixth in a row.

The Spartans improved to 16-23 overall on the season heading into their final home games this weekend against North Carolina A&T, while Hampton fell to 12-30. NSU took three of four from the Pirates this year after the teams split a doubleheader on March 24 in Norfolk.

Holland had two RBI and freshman Melina Valles scored a pair of runs in Game 2, while Castaneda ran her record to 2-3, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of freshman Jamie Schulle. She got the no-decision, allowing five earned runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts in 5+ innings of work.

Junior Casey Pomeroy (8-8) pitched a complete game in the first contest, giving up three earned runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts in all seven innings. Freshman Nikki Jones and sophomore Gipsy Ramirez each scored a pair of runs in Game 1, while junior Danielle Wright went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.

Down 5-2 heading into the seventh inning of Game 2, NSU got things going as back-to-back walks drawn by freshman Morgan Boyd and Valles, followed by a passed ball, put runners in scoring position with no outs. Senior Jeanette Sauceda singled to score Boyd, and Holland followed with a two-run double to left field to score Valles and Sauceda.

Pinch runner Alexa Fleming moved to third when Ramirez singled to right field, and junior Candice Vasquez brought home Fleming with an RBI groundout to short for the 6-5 NSU lead. Hampton, though, did not go quietly in the bottom half of the frame.

Adrianna Scott and Travonna Byrd opened the inning with a pair of singles, and Byrd stole second to put runners in scoring position. After Castaneda struck out Nina Ferguson and walked Tracy Lee to load the bases, the NSU righty got Chelsea Noler to swing at strike three and Brooke Boykin to hit one back to the circle for the final outs.

Scott went 4-for-4 in Game 2 with a pair of runs scored, while Byrd had a 3-for-4 game with two RBI. Bre'Anna Brown contributed with a 3-for-4 game and two RBI after adding three hits in Game 1.

NSU took a 2-0 lead in Game 2 in the top of the first, as Wright came home on a throwing error by the third baseman and Jones lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Valles for the early advantage. Byrd singled in Scott in the bottom of the second, and the Pirates added two more in the fifth and two in the sixth for the 5-2 lead heading into the seventh.

In the first game, NSU put a pair of runs on the board in the second, while Hampton scored in both the first and second innings for the 2-2 tie heading into the third. The Spartans got things going in the second as Jones and Ramirez reached base to start the frame. Jones came home to score on a throwing error by Ferguson at first base, while Wright singled to left field to bring home Ramirez.

Two innings later, NSU took a 5-2 lead with three runs in the fourth. Jones and Ramirez again started off the inning by reaching base, this time on a pair of singles, to put runners on the corners with no outs. After Vasquez struck out, a double steal allowing Jones to come home before Wright singled to center. Ramirez scored on the play, as did Wright when the ball got away from Hampton center fielder Tamara Vickers.

Noler doubled with one out in the seventh for Hampton and came home on another two-bagger by Brown to cut the deficit to 5-3, but Pomeroy got the final out of the frame for the win.

Byrd (4-17) suffered the loss in Game 1 for Hampton, giving up five runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts in all seven innings. Tiffany Brents (5-6) gave up five runs, three earned, on eight hits in six innings in Game 2.

NSU will conclude its home schedule this weekend against N.C. A&T. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game at noon on Sunday. NSU can lock up its spot in the MEAC tournament with at least two wins on the weekend.