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NORFOLK, Va. – A pair of timely home runs for the Norfolk State softball team eventually forced extra innings against UMES on Saturday afternoon, and the Spartans came out victorious in the first game of a doubleheader, 4-3 in 10 innings.

NSU then finished the sweep of the Hawks with an 8-5 victory in the second game between MEAC Northern Division foes at the NSU Softball Field. Senior Chelsea Davis blasted a three-run homer in the five-run first to help the Spartans pull ahead in an eventual Game 2 victory.

The Spartans improved to 8-0 in the conference and 15-17 overall, but it was not without some challenges early on against the pesky Hawks. Carmen Gurrola pitched a solid game for the Hawks (10-21, 2-6 MEAC), striking out nine and allowing five hits and four runs, just one earned, in a complete game effort.

UMES had 11 hits in the game, with Cherokee Williams and Morgan King each tallying three of those hits. Despite having just five, NSU's hits came at the most opportune times.

It was the Hawks, though, that scored first. Williams and Gurrola singled with one out in the fourth inning, and King followed with another one-bagger to score the first run. Jasmine James singled into left field to bring home the second run and chase Spartan starter Jamie Schulle.

Sophomore Liz Riley came into the game and got the last two outs of the inning to prevent any more damage. The Spartans then immediately tied it up in the bottom of the frame. Sophomore Haley Ward reached on a dropped fly ball, and two outs later junior Melina Valles picked the perfect time to launch her first career home run, taking a pitch at the letters and depositing it over the right center field. fence.

UMES put a pair of runners on base in the seventh and plated a run when freshman third baseman Whitney Williams knocked down an infield single but was unable to get the lead runner at home. NSU, though, got out of the inning without any more damage when junior catcher Kathy Cortez threw out Emily Diseroad trying to steal second, and senior shortstop Gipsy Ramirez threw back to Cortez at home from her knees to get Trenece Nash trying to score on the play.

Like Valles, Williams picked a great time to hit her first career homer, a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3. The Spartans had a chance to win in the eighth, but Ward's leadoff double over the center fielder's head went for naught.

After Riley worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th, NSU finally secured the victory in the bottom of the inning. Boyd, who began the frame at second base due to international tiebreaker rules, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Ward hit one into the left center field gap.

Riley (5-7) got the win after allowing five hits and one earned run with five strikeouts in 6.2 innings of relief. Ward and Williams each had two of NSU's five hits in the game.

NSU finally found some consistent offense in the second game against UMES starter Belen Benitez (2-9). NSU's five-run first immediately put the Hawks in a hole. Freshman Heather Dunning and sophomore Alina Moriarty singled to open the game, although Dunning got thrown out trying to reach third on Moriarty's hit to right.

Ward singled up the middle and Ramirez reached base on a shot back to the pitcher to load the bases before Valles dropped a two-run single into center. Davis followed with a three-run homer over the left field fence for that 5-0 lead.

In the second inning, Moriarty doubled to left and Ward beat out a slow-rolling infield single to put runners on the corners. Valles and Davis followed with RBI singles to put the Spartans up 7-0.

After UMES put a run on the board in the third, NSU made it 8-1 when Williams lofted one into shallow right, reached third when the ball got away from the fielders and scored when the throw to third went to the fence.

UMES, though, made it interesting with four runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 8-5. Gurrola's two-run double, which also scored a third run when NSU threw to the wrong base, was the big blow in the inning. But Game 1 starter Schulle shut the Hawks down in relief.

The junior struck out six and gave up just two hits in 3.1 scoreless innings to improve her record to 10-9.

Moriarty and Ward each went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, while Valles (2-for-3, three RBI) and Davis (2-for-3, four RBI) provided plenty of offensive production in the middle of the order.

The two teams will finish out the series Sunday at noon. The game is also Breast Cancer Awareness Day.