Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Kathy Cortez hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 1, and senior Gipsy Ramirez launched a three-run home run in a six-run first in the second game to help the Norfolk State softball team sweep a doubleheader from Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at the NSU Softball Field.

Cortez' solo shot leading off the eighth, her first career home run, gave NSU a 4-3 victory. Thanks to an early lead, the Spartans won in six innings in the second game, 9-1, following a walk-off double from sophomore Haley Ward.

The victories on NSU's Senior Day pushed the Spartans' record to 13-1 in the MEAC and 22-18 overall. The Spartans maintained first place in the Northern Division over second-place Hampton and third-place Delaware State.

NSU scored all of its runs in the first game on home runs, including a two-run bomb from sophomore Alina Moriarty and a solo homer off the bat of junior Melina Valles. Junior Jamie Schulle (14-10) earned the win despite walking seven, as she pitched all eight innings and gave up three runs, two earned, with four strikeouts.

Sophomore Liz Riley (7-7) allowed just one earned run on six hits in six innings of the second game. Ramirez drove in four runs, while the top of the lineup of junior Morgan Boyd, Moriarty, freshman Whitney Williams and Ward went a combined 8-of-16 in Game 2.

Delaware State (15-27, 7-4 MEAC) struck first on the afternoon with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Schulle hit the first batter of the game, and two walks later in the inning loaded the bases. Ashley Bennett dropped a single into left-center to plate two runs.

NSU tied it up in the third, as Boyd hit an infield single with two outs and Moriarty launched a 2-2 pitch over the center field wall. Valles hit a solo homer in the fourth, but DSU, which left the bases loaded in the fifth, tied it at 3-3 in the sixth on Kelsey Lewis' RBI single.

The Hornets threatened later in the sixth with the bases loaded with one out, but Boyd threw out the runner going home on a dropped fly ball to shallow center. Schulle induced another fly out to end the threat.

After Schulle again worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth, Cortez put a 1-0 pitch just over the left-center field wall leading off the bottom of the eighth.

DSU pitcher Rachel Meagley, who struck out seven in the first game, failed to record an out in the bottom of the first of the second contest. Boyd hit a bunt single, and Moriarty hit a tapper back to the circle that Meagley was slow to play. Williams hit an RBI single through the hole between short and third, and Ward made it 2-0 with an RBI single between first and second.

An error on the Hornets on a fielder's choice plated another run, and Ramirez stayed back on a drop changeup and parked it over the center field fence. Valles was called out for not touching home plate before Ramirez, giving NSU a 6-0 lead after one full inning.

Rochelle Sablay's RBI single in the fourth got Delaware State on the board, but NSU added two more in the fifth. Ward doubled to the base of the wall in left center, and then a walk to Cortez and a bloop single down the left field line from junior Nikki Jones loaded the bases. Ramirez hit an RBI groundout, and freshman Heather Dunning lined a shot past the third baseman to score another.

Then in the seventh, Moriarty singled into right field, and one out later Ward doubled over the left fielder's head to score Moriarty to end the game on the eight-run rule.

Ward finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while Williams and Moriarty each had a pair of hits in the second contest.

The two teams will finish out the series with a single game at noon on Sunday, also the last home game of the year for the Spartans.