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ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Playing five games in less than 30 hours, the Norfolk State softball team ultimately ran out of gas and fell short of capturing its first-ever MEAC title with a 7-3 loss to Hampton in the final of the MEAC Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

The Spartans gave it a ride, winning four straight in the loser's bracket to get to the championship round after dropping their opening contest of the tournament. The team endured a lightning delay along the way that saw NSU finish three games on Saturday.

After earning the 5-4 victory over Savannah State early on Saturday morning, NSU downed Hampton 10-3 in the first game of the championship round. Needing to defeat Hampton twice in the double-elimination tournament – the Pirates made it to Saturday without a loss – the Spartans were unable to finish the deal.

Nevertheless, NSU put in a performance for the ages. The Spartans looked to be dead in the water after entering the bottom of the seventh down 3-0 to Coppin State in the first game of the loser's bracket on Thursday, seemingly in position to go 0-2 at the tournament. NSU was not to be denied, rallying to tie it up in the seventh and then winning in extra innings on a walk-off homer by freshman Whitney Williams.

The Spartans defeated Florida A&M on Friday morning, again with a walk-off hit, this time a two-run single from Kathy Cortez that erased a one-run deficit. The Spartans then took out Delaware State and Savannah State to make it to the championship round of the MEAC tournament for just the second time ever.

The contest against Savannah State began early Friday evening and finished the next day when a two-hour lightning delay Friday night eventually forced the two teams to play the last 2+ innings on Saturday morning.

After holding back a Savannah State rally, NSU won its fifth straight game with that 10-3 victory over Hampton, as the Spartans jumped on the Pirates in the early going with two runs in the first inning.

Freshman Heather Dunning beat out an infield hit, and sophomore Alina Moriarty put a perfectly placed bunt into the hole vacated by the shortstop to put the first two runners on. Williams lined one back up the middle to score Dunning, and Moriarty came home when sophomore Haley Ward dropped a double down the left field line.

Hampton got out of the inning without further damage when Williams left third base early on a fly out to left with one out. The Pirates cut the deficit to 2-1 two innings later on Margaret Wilkins' RBI single.

The Spartans then added five unearned runs in the top of the fifth. Dunning walked with one out, and Moriarty poked a double over the right fielder's head to put runners in scoring position. Dunning then scored when Hampton second baseman Bianca Vallejo dropped a popup in shallow center. After the Pirates got the second out, Cortez poked one into right field to score Moriarty.

Cortez moved up to second on a bad throw to home, and both she and Williams scored when sophomore Robyn Mitchell hit one into right. Two batters later, senior Gipsy Ramirez hit an RBI single through the hole between first and second to make it 7-1.

Hampton scored a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings, and Moriarty launched her eighth homer of the season over the left field fence in the sixth.

Up 8-3 going into the seventh, Williams hit a two-run single to left field to cap the scoring.

The Spartans struggled in the second game, though, as two errors and a pair of late throws to get the leading runner helped Hampton take a 3-0 lead in the first inning. After an error on Hampton made it 3-1 in the top of the fourth, the Pirates added three more in the bottom of the frame.

The Pirates scored one more in the fifth, but NSU did not go quietly, getting the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh.

An error and a hit by pitch put two runners on, and an infield single by Dunning loaded the bases with one out. A fielder's choice and then an error on Hampton starter Bobbi Langlois brought home two runs. After another error on Hampton loaded the bases, Langlois recorded the third out of the inning to end the championship.

Junior Jamie Schulle earned the win in the first game, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits in six innings of work. NSU tagged Hampton's Jailynn Jackson for eight runs, three earned, on 13 hits in six innings.

Langlois gave up three unearned runs on six hits in all seven innings for the victory in the second contest. Schulle suffered the loss and ended the year 21-13 overall, easily topping the NSU Division I record for wins in a season.

As a team, NSU also set the D-I record for victories, finishing out the year 31-22. Hampton ran its record to 34-24.

Schulle, Ward and Mitchell were each named to the MEAC All-Tournament team.

The Spartans set numerous team and individual D-I records, including team records for hits (499), doubles (83), total bases (675) as well as wins while also tying the record for home runs (25). Ward set the D-I records for batting average (.482), hits (68), doubles (21), total bases (114) and on-base percentage (.525). Her doubles record also stands as the program's all-time mark.

Moriarty set the D-I records for runs (49) and RBI (55) and, if it had not been for Ward, would have also set the marks for hits and total bases. Junior Morgan Boyd set the record for stolen bases as well with 31.

Saturday also marked the close of the careers of four seniors – Ramirez, Chelsea Davis, Marjorie Pettitt and Gillian Giarrizzo. Ramirez ended her career in the top 10 all-time at NSU in games played (184), games started (172), at bats (523), hits (155), doubles (23) and even hit-by-pitches (17) while finishing with the career record for infield assists (301). She ended her career hitting .296 with 80 runs, four homers and 63 RBI.

Davis hit .338 over her two-year career at NSU with 18 runs on 23 hits and four doubles, two triples, three homers and 15 RBI. Also a two-year player, Pettitt batted .173 with 11 runs on 14 hits and six RBI.

After having to sit out the 2011 season, Giarrizzo played in just seven games over the last two years following a pair of knee injuries. She batted .333 in seven games last year – missing all of the 2013 season as well – with two runs, two doubles and an RBI.