This Week's Schedule
Wednesday: NSU at Savannah State (DH), 2 p.m.
Thursday: NSU at South Carolina State (DH), 2 p.m.
Live Stats (Savannah State Only)

NORFOLK, Va. – After more than a week off from competition, the Norfolk State softball team will get back on the field for a pair of Spring Break doubleheaders Wednesday and Thursday at Savannah State and South Carolina State, respectively.

NSU will face the Tigers at 2 p.m. in Savannah on Wednesday in the Spartans' first road games of the year. The team will then travel up the road to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on former Southern Division foe S.C. State Thursday at 2. NSU took two of three last season from the Bulldogs in MEAC play, while the Spartans also swept the Tigers in a doubleheader in Norfolk in 2011.

Live stats for the doubleheader against Savannah State will be available here. Live stats against S.C. State and live video for both days will be unavailable.

Thanks to a rash of rain outs, NSU has played just six of the 12 games that were on the original schedule, and the Spartans sit 2-4 on the year. NSU picked up a pair of wins over Army, 8-0, and Delaware, 4-3, Feb. 25 and 26 in the Spartan Classic at the NSU Softball Field.

The offense has continued to pick up where it left off last season, as NSU is hitting .295 as a team, with freshman Haley Ward (6-for-11) and senior Whitney Holland (9-for-17) leading the way. Holland has a pair of doubles and a pair of home runs with eight RBI on the young season and has drawn five walks as well.

Juniors Gipsy Ramirez and Gillian Giarrizzo have combined to hit 11-for-31 with four doubles and five RBI for NSU, while freshman Whittni Gray has contributed three RBI to the offensive attack. In the circle, sophomore Jamie Schulle has started three of the team's six games and holds a 2-1 record with a 3.15 ERA, striking out 26 in 26.2 innings of work. Freshman Liz Riley has gotten the starting nod in the other three games.

NSU has been plagued by an inability to get runners across the plate, as the Spartans have left an average of nearly nine runners on base per game. The team is averaging exactly 4.0 runs scored per contest.

Don't Call It a Big Comeback
NSU's 4-3 win over Delaware to close out the Spartan Classic on Feb. 26 was almost not-to-be, as the Spartans entered the bottom of the seventh down 3-1. NSU rallied, though, beginning with Haley Ward's single to open the frame which was immediately followed by a two-base hit by Gillian Giarrizzo. Delaware walked Whitney Holland to load the bases, and Gipsy Ramirez lined a double to center field to tie it up at 3-3.

Still with no outs, Whittni Gray hit a grounder to short, and pinch runner Alina Moriarty crossed the plate right before the tag to give the Spartans a big boost heading into the nine-day layoff. The victory also gave NSU a measure of revenge after Delaware pounded the Spartans 13-4 last year in the Spartan Classic.

About Savannah State
The Tigers stand 6-9 on the season, including a three-game sweep of Howard to start the year along with a 10-2 victory over S.C. State on March 4 at the Tiny Laster Tournament in Conyers, Ga. Savannah State was picked to finish fifth in the MEAC Southern Division in the preseason poll.

India Morgan and Chelsea Parrish have provided plenty of offense early on, as each owns a .405 average to start the year. Morgan has scored a team-high 13 runs in 12 games, while Parrish ranks second on the team with nine RBI. Amber Hallman is hitting .316 with a team-leading 10 RBI, and Madison Hedderly has added nine RBI as well.

Hedderly is also the team's leading pitcher, as she owns a 5-4 record despite a very respectable 2.51 ERA. Hedderly has struck out 63 batters in 61 innings. Tiffany Davies has started five games and carries a 4.97 ERA and a 1-4 record.

About S.C. State
The Bulldogs carry a 9-11 record into the doubleheader against NSU, although six of those wins have come against non-Division I opponents. S.C. State split a twinbill against Morgan State on Feb. 18 and also picked up victories over Coppin State and Alabama A&M.

Early in the season, Mikala Johnson was leading the team with a .475 batting average through 13 games, including two home runs and 17 RBI. Tiffany Harris had a .400 batting average with 11 RBI, and LaTavia Riley and Taylor-Ann Harris combined for 24 runs and 17 RBI.

Mikala Johnson and Raven Johnson had combined to start six of the team's first 13 games, with Mikala Johnson owning a 0.98 ERA in 14.1 innings and Raven Johnson tallying a 1.11 ERA in 12.2 innings. Vianney Gomez had pitched 56 innings early on and had a 4.12 ERA in seven starts. S.C. State finished in a tie for third with North Carolina A&T in the MEAC Southern Division in the preseason poll.

Up Next
NSU will return to its home field next Tuesday for a doubleheader against George Mason. First pitch for the twinbill is slated to be thrown at 2 p.m.