Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORFOLK, Va. – Down by two runs in the bottom of the seventh, the Norfolk State softball team rallied to defeat Delaware, 4-3, Sunday on a bright, crisp afternoon at the NSU Softball Field. The victory allowed NSU to split on the second day of the Spartan Classic after Army rallied in the seventh for a 5-4 win over the Spartans earlier in the day.

NSU (2-4) had an early 1-0 lead over Delaware (3-8) in the last game of the tournament before the Blue Hens scored a pair of runs in the sixth and an insurance run in the top of the seventh for a 3-1 lead. It did not take long, though, for the Spartans to get going in the bottom of the frame, as NSU scored three runs with no outs for the win.

Freshman Haley Ward went the opposite way for a single into left field, and junior Gillian Giarrizzo hit a double deep into left center that fell just a few feet short of going over the fence. Delaware pitcher Brianna Jennings walked NSU's most dangerous hitter, senior Whitney Holland, to load the bases before junior Gipsy Ramirez lined a shot to the center field fence to score Ward and Giarrrizzo and tie it up at 3-3.

Ramirez hit the ball so hard off the fence that pinch runner Alina Moriarty had to stop at third base. It did not matter, though, as freshman shortstop Whittni Gray then hit a grounder to Blue Hen shortstop Marisa Newman. Her slight hesitation after fielding the ball allowed Moriarty to cross the plate for the winning run.

Sophomore Jamie Schulle (2-1) was the beneficiary of the late rally, as she pitched a solid seven innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits with a career-high nine strikeouts. Schulle recorded six straight strikeouts at one point in the game.

Ward and designated player Nikki Jones each added a pair of hits against the Blue Hens, while Ward and Giarrizzo also had two hits in the first game against Army. Jones hit an RBI double in the bottom of the second to give NSU an early 1-0 lead against Delaware.

The Blue Hens tallied a pair of runs in the top of the sixth when Rachel Jones singled down the right field line to plate a pair of Delaware runners. Jess Grisler stroked an RBI single into center field in the seventh to put Delaware up, 3-1, before NSU rallied for the win in the bottom part of the frame.

Jennings (0-3) gave up four earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts against NSU. Gina Knutson and Lara Andrews each had a pair of hits for the Blue Hens.

Against Army (4-3) earlier in the day, freshman pitcher Liz Riley pitched well before the Black Knights scored a pair of runs in both the sixth and seventh innings for the win. Riley (0-2) gave up five earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings of work.

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Army, the designated home team for the team, loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single to left with one out. Another walk to Rachael Duval plated the tying run, and then Riley threw a pitch in the dirt to score the winning run for the Black Knights.

A two-run home run by Rae Anne Payleitner cut the NSU lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, and the Black Knights loaded the bases in that same inning thanks to a pair of one-baggers and a fielding error on the Spartans. Riley, though, got out of the jam when April Ortenzo grounded out to Holland at third to preserve the one-run lead.

The Spartans had struck first in the top of the second, as Holland opened up the frame with a double down the left field line and Giarrizzo got on base with a bunt single. Ramirez doubled to nearly the exact same spot as Holland to score the NSU third baseman, and Riley followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Giarrizzo, who made a nice dive around the tag at home to make it 2-0.

Gray then legged out an infield single to score Ramirez as the Spartans went up by an early 3-0 score.

After Wright and Ward made a pair of nice diving catches to save a run in the third, Army got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Duval reached on a fielder's choice and took second after the play had ended when no one paid attention to her at first. That proved critical, as Duval came around to score when Marina Northup singled to left center.

In the top half of the next inning, Ward hit a one-out single to left center, and after Holland walked in the next at bat, Giarrizzo hit one over the left fielder's head for a double to score Ward and make it 4-1 in favor of NSU. The Spartans, though, wasted a good opportunity to break the game open as they left runners in scoring position.

NSU left 17 runners on base in the two games combined. Morgan Lashley (3-3) got the win for Army, pitching all seven innings and allowing four earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts.

NSU will play at North Carolina Central Wednesday at 2 p.m. in a make-up doubleheader originally scheduled for Feb. 16.