Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORFOLK, Va. – Shine Huwe's two-run home run propelled Hampton to a 2-1 win over the Norfolk State softball team in Game 1, but freshman Alina Moriarty and sophomore Melina Valles each drove in two runs to give the Spartans a 6-3 win in the rubber match Sunday afternoon at the NSU Softball Field.

NSU won the series over the Pirates after winning by a 4-0 margin on Saturday. The Spartans ran their overall record to 23-23 on the year and 12-6 in conference play. NSU will enter the MEAC tournament as the No. 3 seed from the Northern Division and play either Bethune-Cookman or Florida A&M Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Fla.

Hampton, the North's No. 4 seed, will enter the tournament 23-31 overall, 9-9 in MEAC play.

Jailynn Jackson (11-13) struck out nine and gave up just two hits, one a solo homer off the bat of sophomore Nikki Jones, in all seven innings to pick up the win in the first game for Hampton.

Sophomore starter Jamie Schulle (12-10) pitched well, giving up two hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work. Her only mistake, though, cost NSU as Huwe's two-run homer to center in the sixth proved to be the difference.

NSU then put six runs on the board against Pirate starter Travonna Byrd in the second game to earn the split.

The Spartans wasted no time in taking the lead in the second game, as senior Danielle Wright led things off with a single, and sophomore Kathy Cortez and freshman Haley Ward each reached base with no outs. Junior Gipsy Ramirez singled back up the middle to plate Wright, and Moriarty followed with a sacrifice fly to right for the second run of the game.

After a walk loaded the bases again, Valles hit into a fielder's choice to score Ward and give NSU a 3-0 lead.

Ramirez scored in the third for a 4-0 lead when Hampton could not get a clean field on a hit by senior Whitney Holland, but the Pirates finally got on the board in their half of the fourth. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Kerissa Burruel lined an RBI single through the infield to plate the first two runs of the game for Hampton.

The Spartans came right back, though, with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Cortez and Ward singled to start the inning, and Ramirez reached on a fielder's choice as Hampton was unable to get the out at second. Moriarty got hit on the helmet by the pitch to score the first run of the inning, and one out later Valles hit into a fielder's choice to make it 6-2.

Margaret Wilkins drove one up the middle in the sixth to plate Nina Ferguson to cut the deficit to 6-3 for Hampton, but freshman Liz Riley got out of the inning with no more damage and retired the Pirates in order in the seventh to secure the victory.

Byrd (12-18) allowed all six earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts in four innings of work. Riley (11-13) earned the victory in relief for NSU, giving up four hits and one earned run in 3.1 innings.

Jones sent a 1-2 pitch from Jackson toward the satellite dish out in left center for the first run of Game 1 with one out in the third.

Hampton had nearly scored in the top half of the third when Wright had to make a catch against the wall for the third out. The Pirates finally did get on the board with Huwe's two-run shot with one out in the sixth.

The Spartans had two prime opportunities to tie it up, but Jackson got the last two outs of the sixth with the bases loaded and got one more strike out with the tying run on third in the seventh to end Game 1.

NSU will play twice on Thursday in the MEAC tournament, beginning with the contest against either Bethune-Cookman or Florida A&M at 1:30 followed by another game later in the day.