Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DOVER, Del. – Delaware State had 11 hits en route to a five-inning, 9-0 win in game 1, but the Norfolk State softball team held on for a 3-2 victory in the second game during a conference doubleheader on Friday afternoon at DSU's Hornets Nest field.

Neither team could gain an edge with first place in the MEAC Northern Division on the line. NSU saw its record go to 18-17 overall and 12-2 in conference play, while DSU ran its record to 23-14 and 8-2.

The winner of Saturday's rubber match will have the inside track toward first place by virtue of being a game up in the loss column while also owning the tiebreaker.

The Spartans only got to that point after putting a disappointing first game behind them. Senior Jamie Schulle (13-8) did just that, allowing five hits and two unearned runs with three strikeouts in all seven innings.

NSU built a 3-0 lead only to watch DSU cut it to one in the seventh.

Junior Alina Moriarty doubled with one out in the fourth, and she later scored when sophomore Whitney Williams singled and DSU left fielder Nicole Gazzola misplayed the ball.

DSU stranded the bases loaded in the fourth, and NSU left runners on the corners in the sixth. Then in the seventh, the Spartans added what ended up being two important insurance runs.

Seniors Kathy Cortez and Morgan Boyd reached on singles with one out, and sophomore Heather Dunning followed with an infield hit to load the bases. Senior Nikki Jones drew a walk to score one run, and freshman Kayla McNair hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 3-0 lead.

Schulle got the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a single and then a home run from Danielle Velez cut the NSU lead to 3-2. Schulle, though, got the last batter to ground out to short to end the day.

Dunning, Moriarty and sophomore Whitney Williams each had two hits in the game.

NSU managed just three hits in game 1, all in the third inning when the Spartans left the bases loaded.

The Hornets tagged Schulle for five runs in the first two innings, including a two-run double by Rochelle Sablay in the first. DSU added another run in the fourth off reliever Stephanie Wheatley, and Kaitlyn Slater hit a three-run homer in the fifth to end the game on the eight-run rule.

The two teams will finish out the series Saturday at 1 p.m.