Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORFOLK, Va. – Central Connecticut State shut down the Norfolk State softball team in Game 1, and some timely hitting gave the Blue Devils a doubleheader sweep of the Spartans late Monday afternoon at the NSU Softball Field.

Laura Messina earned the win in both games for Central Connecticut State (12-7), pitching a two-hit shutout in the first game and then allowing just one unearned run in 6.2 innings of relief in Game 2. NSU (9-11) scored first in the second game with two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Spartans could not find an answer for Messina in the latter part of the game.

Freshman Liz Riley (4-7) suffered both losses, giving up just two earned runs on six hits in five innings in the start. She also pitched four innings of relief for starter Jamie Schulle in the second game and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits.

Freshman center fielder Haley Ward walked and freshman second baseman Alina Moriarty lined a single past starter Julie Marks to start the first inning of Game 2 for the Spartans. A wild pitch moved them into scoring position, and Ward crossed the plate just in time on junior Gipsy Ramirez' sac fly to right. Senior third baseman Whitney Holland drove one into left field to score Moriarty for the 2-0 lead.

Moriarty and junior Marjorie Pettit each added a pair of hits in the game, while Ward scored a pair of runs.

The Blue Devils immediately got the two runs back in the next half inning when Kelsey Barlow lofted a two-run home run to left field with no outs. CCSU nearly took a big lead in the third, as Arielle Bruno singled and Rebecca Mussatti walked to put the first two runners on base.

Riley came in to pitch, and an error on the Spartans on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases. Riley took command from there, striking out the next two batters and getting a groundout to short to end the threat without any damage.

The Blue Devils did take the lead in the fourth, though. Ashley Black laid down a bunt to third and went all the way to third base when no one covered the bag at first. Another error on the Spartans off a hit by Bruno scored Black for a 3-2 lead.

Nicole Springer hit an RBI double to the left-center gap in the top of the fifth, and a single by Barlow one out later pushed the Blue Devil lead to three, 5-2.

Ward and Moriarty reached base on a pair of hits to put runners on first and third in the bottom of the seventh, and Ward came home to score on a double steal that saw Moriarty get tagged out in a rundown. NSU could not muster any other offense, though, and fell by a 5-3 score in the nightcap.

Schulle gave up two earned runs on three hits in three innings in the starting role. Marks made it through just 0.1 innings, giving up both runs in the first inning on two hits with one walk.

The Blue Devils had a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings of Game 1 but were unable to push across a run. They finally broke through in the fifth. Black singled past a drawn-in Holland at third, and two batters later Mussatti lined a triple just over the glove of Moriarty and all the way to the right center fence to bring home the first run of the game.

An RBI groundout by Tessa Brown in the next at bat brought home Mussatti and brought in Schulle to pitch in the next inning.

Schulle escaped a jam in the sixth after Alyssa McCoart singled and Barlow lined a double off the top of the wall near the left field foul pole to open the frame. Schulle got a pair of groundouts and a pop up to keep the deficit at two, but the Blue Devils posted a pair of runs in the seventh to extend their lead to four.

Mussatti walked with one out and Brown reached base when the ball went right under the glove of Ramirez at short. The two runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch with two outs, and then McCoart lofted a double over Pettitt's head in left to make it 4-0.

Messina (6-3) gave up just two hits with two strikeouts in all seven innings in Game 1. Riley (4-6) allowed six hits and two earned runs in five innings of work. Schulle allowed two unearned runs on three hits with three strikeouts in two innings of relief.

The two teams will turn right around and play again Tuesday at 2 p.m. in another doubleheader at the NSU Softball Field.