Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Photo Gallery Part I | Photo Gallery Part II

NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Casey Pomeroy pitched a complete game shutout, and senior Jeanette Sauceda added three hits on the afternoon as the Norfolk State softball team swept North Carolina A&T, 1-0, 12-1, Saturday on Senior Day at the NSU Softball Field.

Prior to Game 1, the Spartans honored those two players for their dedication to the softball program – Pomeroy is forgoing her senior season and graduating a year early – then battled it out with the Aggies in a tight first game before NSU's bats exploded in the second game, including a seven-run second inning. NSU improved to 18-23 overall, 5-6 in the MEAC and ran its win streak to eight games. The Spartans locked up a spot in the MEAC tournament with the wins.

Pomeroy (9-8) gave up just three hits with three strikeouts in seven innings in Game 1. The Aggies (7-31, 1-7 MEAC) got just one runner in scoring position the entire game. In Game 2, Sauceda added two hits and two runs scored, while junior Whitney Holland and freshman Melina Valles each added three RBI. Junior Danielle Wright went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI and hit her seventh home run of the year.

Freshman Nikki Jones scored the lone run of the contest in Game 1 in the bottom of the fourth, as A&T pitcher Hope Fletcher (6-13) gave up just one unearned run on five hits in six innings. Freshman Jamie Schulle (5-9) gave up one unearned on three hits with six strikeouts in all five innings in the second game for the win. Tranea Jones picked up the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits in 1.1 innings.

NSU left a pair of runners on base in the first and second innings as the day's action got underway, including runners on second and third in the opening frame. In the fourth, Jones doubled to left center with one out, and sophomore Gipsy Ramirez lined a 3-1 pitch into center field in the next at bat. Dominique Smith misplayed the ball out in center which allowed Jones to score. Fletcher retired the next two batters to get out of the inning, but NSU got all it needed as Pomeroy retired nine of the last 11 batters in the final three frames.

After A&T scored its lone run of the day in the top of the first in Game 2, NSU doubled its output from the first game with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Wright led off the inning and lined the very first pitch she saw to right field as the ball bounced off the top of the fence and fell onto the other side for Wright's fourth leadoff home run of the season.

Freshman Morgan Boyd singled and advanced to third on a groundout, and then Sauceda singled between short and third to score Boyd for the 2-1 lead. A fielding error put Ramirez on base to start the seven-run second, and after freshman Kathy Cortez singled into left field to put runners on the corners with one out, Wright also singled between third and short to score Ramirez. After Fletcher came in to pitch, Boyd laid down a bunt single to load the bases.

Valles cleared the bases with a single into the left-center field gap and after Sauceda reached on another A&T error, Holland launched a deep home run to center field to make it 9-1 in favor of the Spartans. Ramirez came back up with two outs and singled back up the middle but was thrown out at home when junior Candice Vasquez doubled into left center in the next at bat.

The Spartans later added three more runs in the fourth. Sauceda doubled to open the frame, and back-to-back walks to freshman Alexa Fleming and Pomeroy loaded the bases. Vasquez lined one into center field to score Fleming and Sauceda, and a fielder's choice off the bat of Cortez scored Pomeroy for the final 12-1 margin.

The Aggies threatened in the fifth, putting runners on the corners, but Schulle got Juanita Jernigan to fly out to deep left center for the final out of the game.

Cortez finished 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI in the second game, while Vasquez went 2-for-2 with two RBI. Boyd also added two hits and two runs scored in Game 2 and stole a pair of bases on the day.

The two teams will finish the series Sunday at noon in the final home game of the season for NSU.