Box Score

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Whitney Holland's two-run bloop single in the top of the seventh gave the Norfolk State softball team a 5-3 win over Morgan State in the first round of the MEAC Championship Thursday afternoon at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

The Spartans won their 13th game in a row and advanced to play Bethune-Cookman later in the day at 7 p.m. in the second round of the double-elimination tournament on Thursday. NSU improved its record to 23-23 on the season, while Morgan State fell to 16-26.

A three-run third inning put NSU up top, 3-0, but the Bears fought back, scoring a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to tie it up at 3-3. Holland, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI on the day, hit one down the right field line in the seventh inning, just out of the reach of MSU second baseman Amber Frame. Junior Danielle Wright and freshman Morgan Boyd came around to score, and junior starter Casey Pomeroy shut down the Bears in the bottom of the frame for the win.

Pomeroy (13-8) allowed three runs, one earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts as she won her eighth game in a row. Megan Johnson (5-4) suffered the loss, giving up all five runs, two earned, with eight hits and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

Wright and Boyd scored a pair of runs each for NSU, while senior Jeanette Sauceda went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Tiffany Rubin and Boshia Richardson added two hits each for Morgan State.

The Bears threatened to score the first runs of the game in the bottom of the second, all with two outs. Richardson and Shareday Christina singled to put runners on the corners, and Pomeroy plunked Sakina Smith with the pitch to load the bases. Pomeroy got Frame to hit one back to the circle, though, to end the threat.

The Spartans then struck in the next half inning, as freshman Kathy Cortez singled and Wright walked with one out. Boyd hit one back to Johnson, but the MSU pitcher looked to third before throwing to first, allowing Boyd to get down the line safe on the fielder's choice. Cortez was thrown out at home when Valles hit one to third base, but a wild throw down to first allowed Wright to score and put runners on the corners.

Sauceda brought home Boyd with a single up the middle, and Valles scored from second on another single by Holland to center for the 3-0 lead.

Rubin hit an RBI single in the fifth to cut the deficit to two, 3-1, but after NSU was unable to bring home Sauceda and Holland when the duo singled to lead off the sixth, the Bears tied it up with two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Lydia Rodriguez scored from third on a throwing error on Cortez on a steal attempt, and Smith's RBI single with two outs brought home the tying run.

Wright got hit by the pitch in the top of the seventh with one out, and an infield hit by Boyd and an error on Morgan State on the throw to first put runners on the corners for NSU. Sauceda was hit by the pitch to load the bases with two outs, and Holland followed with her game-winning hit.