Box Score NORFOLK, Va. – Plating just one run the entire day, the Norfolk State softball team saw numerous scoring opportunities fall to the wayside as the Spartans fell to Coppin State, 2-1, in a game that was postponed from Saturday. NSU then stranded 10 runners on base, including three in the bottom of the seventh, in a 2-1 loss later in the day on Sunday at the NSU Softball Field.

The Spartans left a total of 21 runners on base over the two games to fall to 10-15 overall and 1-2 in the MEAC in the opening weekend of conference play for the Northern Division. Coppin State improved its record to 9-14, 2-1.

Paige Arnold (7-9) pitched all three games on the weekend for the Eagles, giving up eight hits but just one earned run in all seven innings in the middle game of the series. NSU had a 1-0 lead on Saturday in Game 2 of that day's doubleheader before the contest was postponed before the start of the bottom of the second inning due to rain.

Arnold finished the complete game on Sunday, and then threw another seven innings in the final game of the weekend on Sunday morning. She allowed seven hits but just one earned run with three walks and two strikeouts in the rubber match of the series.

Freshman Liz Riley and sophomore Jamie Schulle pitched well in that game, allowing a combined two runs, one earned, with six hits and six strikeouts.  Freshman Alina Moriarty had a pair of hits in each game, while sophomore Kathy Cortez smacked two hits in Game 2 and freshman Haley Ward also added two hits in the last game of the day.

Holding that 1-0 lead to start the day on Sunday in the rain-delayed game, NSU nearly went up by a 4-0 score in the third inning, as senior Whitney Holland walked and junior Marjorie Pettitt lined one into left field to put the first two runners on base. One out later, sophomore Nikki Jones launched one down the left field line that easily cleared the fence but went foul by just a foot or two at most. After that scare, Arnold got Jones to fly out and Cortez to hit into a fielder's choice to prevent any runs from scoring.

With sophomore Morgan Boyd at third base in the fourth, NSU again nearly put some runs on the board, but again the ball drifted just foul as junior Gipsy Ramirez' shot to left field had the home-run distance but fell on the wrong side of the foul pole.

Coppin State then answered in the top of the fifth, as Kira Gleason singled just in front of Boyd in right field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Candice Van Horn hit one to the fence in right to score Gleason to tie it up at 1-1. The Eagles later grabbed a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Taylor Kairos doubled to the center field wall to plate Heather Josker with two outs.

The Eagles added a pair of runs off Schulle in relief in the seventh on a pair of RBI hits by Arnold and Josker for a 4-1 lead. Those missed opportunities at the plate came back to haunt NSU, including a shot off the bat of Holland in the fifth that was caught at the warning track after dying in the heavy morning fog.

Riley (5-8) suffered the loss, giving up two earned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings pitched.

Riley got out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the second inning of the final game thanks to a force out at home and a strike out, but the Eagles did finally get a run on the board in the third. Arnold doubled past a diving Pettitt in left center, and after advancing to third on a wild pitch, she came home to score on a bloop single by Samantha Denlinger over the first base bag.

NSU manufactured a run in the bottom of the fifth, as sophomore Melina Valles walked with one out and pinch runner Whittni Gray went to second on a wild pitch. After Boyd struck out for the second out of the inning, Ward singled back up the middle to tie it up at 1-1.

Ward went to second on the throw and then to third on a wild pitch, but after Moriarty drew a walk to put runners on the corners, Van Horn stretched out to make a diving stop of Ramirez' hit at short and flipped to second for the force.

The Spartans also came oh-so-close to scoring in the sixth. Holland doubled to right center to lead off the frame, and a throwing error on Nicole Boggs at third one out later put runners in scoring position. Arnold got out of the inning, though, when Jones lined out to second and Valles, after fighting off numerous pitches including one that just went foul past the third base bag, finally grounded out to the circle.

Arnold's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh off Schulle (5-7) scored Boggs and broke the 1-1 tie. Keeping with the theme of the day, NSU again had a great opportunity to push across more runs in the last half inning of the game. Ward and Ramirez singled to put runners on first and second with two outs. Holland smacked one to third that Boggs knocked down, but she was unable to tag third in time before Ward slid in safe.

With Pettitt at the plate holding a 0-2 count, her check swing was originally called a ball by the home plate umpire before the third base umpire overruled and called her out to end the game.

NSU will head to North Carolina Central on Wednesday to play a non-conference doubleheader originally scheduled for February before traveling up to Washington, D.C., to play Howard next weekend for a conference three-game series.