NORFOLK, Va. – After playing the first six conference games at home, the Norfolk State softball team will pack up for a trip to Baltimore this weekend. The Spartans face Morgan State in a three game MEAC series this Saturday and Sunday at MSU's Lois T. Murray Field.
 
Weather and field conditions permitting, the two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday. Neither live stats nor live video will be available.
 
The Spartans enter the weekend with a 6-17 overall record, including 5-1 in conference play. Morgan State has struggled to get conference games in thanks to lousy weather and is just 1-1 in the MEAC and 2-19 overall.
 
Softball Standings
Hampton was off last weekend and thanks to the continued postponement of its Morgan State series, the Pirates have played just three MEAC games. They swept Delaware State a couple weeks ago and currently sit 3-0 in conference play. The Spartans (5-1) have a clear hold on second place, with Howard (5-4) in third and Coppin State (3-3) and Morgan State (1-1) at .500 for the year.
 
Bethune-Cookman (6-0) and Savannah State (5-1) have the early lead in the Southern Division standings.
 
League Rankings
Sommer Di Fulgo ranks fourth in the league in walks with 14, while Alina Moriarty stands sixth in slugging percentage at .621. Di Fulgo has also thrown out a league-leading nine base stealers this season. Senior pitcher Liz Riley, meanwhile, stands seventh in the MEAC in strikeouts with 64.

Riley is also 128^th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings at 6.6. Di Fulgo stands 129^th in walks per game at 0.61.
 
NSU-MSU History
NSU has won 10 in a row over the Bears, including three-game sweeps each of the last three years in Northern Division play. The Spartans have a 25-10 lead in the all-time series with the Bears.
 
About Morgan State
The Bears have only been able to play two MEAC games so far this year, splitting a doubleheader against Delaware State last Saturday. The Bears were scheduled to host Hampton on Wednesday to start a three-game series that was postponed from earlier in the year, but weather forced that cancellation as well. The Bears own a 2-19 overall record so far on the season, with the other victory on the year coming against Alabama A&M.
 
Morgan State is hitting just .206 as a team (based on available stats), with Claudette Smith the top hitter at .264. Zina Constancia and Danielle Pitpit are each batting .245 and are the only other hitters above .230. On the season, the Bears have scored just 44 runs in 19 games. They also have a team ERA of 8.31, with Amy Begg owning both wins in 14 starts.
 
Up Next
NSU will host Longwood for a doubleheader next Thursday starting at 5 p.m. at the NSU Softball Field.