Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LYNCHBURG, Va. – Senior Whitney Williams hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs as the Norfolk State softball team run-ruled Rhode Island in its first of two straight games on Friday afternoon at the Liberty Softball Classic. La Salle scored four runs in the third inning to top the Spartans by a 6-2 score in the second contest.
 
The Spartans benefitted from nine walks issued by URI pitchers as well as four errors on the Rams in winning 10-2 in five innings at the Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. NSU needed just five hits to score those 10 runs, seven of which were unearned.
 
The Spartans (3-8) collected five hits in the second game as well, with three coming off the bat of senior Heather Dunning.
 
In the contest against Rhode Island (6-8), NSU put two unearned runs on the board in the top half of the first. Freshman Shelby DesChamps got things started by drawing the first of those nine free passes in the game. She went to second on a sac bunt and then to third on a Rhode Island error. Two wild pitches later, DesChamps had crossed the plate and Williams had advanced to third. Junior Mikki Haury's RBI single made it 2-0.
 
After the Rams got one of those runs back in their half of the inning, NSU added two more in the second. Singles by Dunning and DesChamps sandwiched around a walk to junior Devon Bitler helped to load the bases. Another wild pitch brought one run home, and freshman Kylee Lopez hit a sac fly to left to score another.
 
Paige Julich hit a solo homer in the third to cut the Spartan lead to 4-2, but NSU answered right back in the top of the fourth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Williams hit an RBI single through the infield. Two batters later and with the bases full, Haury reached on an error on Ram first baseman Taylor Archer for a 6-2 lead.
 
The final run-rule scores came in the top of the fifth. Two errors and a walk eventually scored Dunning with no outs. After Rhode Island got the next two batters out with runners on second and third, Williams followed with her first home run of the season to left field for the final margin.
 
Williams finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI, while Dunning, Bitler and DesChamps combined to go 2-for-4 with six runs – two each – and four walks.
 
Sophomore Megan Przeslawski (2-3) earned the win, allowing four hits and two earned runs in three innings. Freshman Marissa Marrero pitched the final two innings and allowed just two hits.
Przeslawski also pitched four no-hit innings in relief in the next game against La Salle (3-7).
 
The Spartans actually took a 2-0 lead at the start of the game after the Explorers had left two runners on base in the top half of the first. A walk and an error eventually put two runners on base, and then with two outs, junior Kayla McNair singled to center.
 
One run came home on the hit, and a second crossed the plate when the ball got away from the center fielder.
 
Kendra Heyer hit a two-run single in the top of the second for La Salle to tie the game at 2-2. Then in the third, the Explorers loaded the bases with no outs and proceeded to score four runs without the ball even leaving the infield.
 
Neither team scored after that, with the Spartans having their best shot in the fifth. Dunning and DesChamps reached on base hits but were stranded at first and second.
 
McKenzie Peace (1-4) gave up two unearned runs on three hits in 4.1 innings of work to earn the victory for La Salle.
 
NSU will play two more games on Saturday, the first against Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. and then against Rhode Island at 2:30 p.m. in the sixth meeting this year between the two teams.