ELON, N.C. – The Norfolk State softball team rallied in the seventh inning and then won the game in the ninth against Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday during the first day of the Elon Phoenix Tournament at Hunt Softball Park. The Spartans later fell to host Elon to split its first two of four games on the weekend.
 
NSU began the tournament with a 7-4 win over the Knights, scoring two runs in the seventh to force extra innings and then adding three more in the ninth to finish the job. In the NSU's nightcap, the host Phoenix scored three runs in the opening frame and never trailed in a 7-5 victory over the Spartans.
 
NSU ran its record to 6-6 on the season, as the Spartans have split all six of their game days this year. It happened again during their first of two days at Elon after their big rally.
 
Norfolk State got off to a quick start in its opening game against Fairleigh Dickinson. Later on, the rally began in the top of the seventh down with the Spartans down by two runs. Junior Julianne Gillo singled with one out, and senior pinch hitter Hannah Haustein doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Junior Seana Moriarty singled in one run, and then with two outs freshman Meaghan Barfield doubled to center to make it a 4-4 ballgame.
 
FDU starter Madison Emerson kept NSU from taking the lead after inducing a grounder to second for the third out of the inning.
 
The Knights (1-10) had a chance in the seventh when Summer Mendoza tripled with two outs. But Spartan starter Megan Przeslawski got the third out to send it to extras. In the ninth, Moriarty doubled with one out and scored two batters later on Barfield's singled to center. Sophomore Kylee Lopez gave NSU a little more cushion with a two-run homer to left, her second of the year.
 
The Spartans took the first lead of the game when freshman Alyssa Cowan also hit her second home run of the season, a two-run blast in the top of the second. The Knights got the runs right back when Francine Villalobos hit an RBI triple in the bottom of the second and scored on a grounder.
 
RBI hits in the fifth and sixth innings extended Fairleigh Dickinson's lead to 4-2 before the Spartans came back in the seventh.
 
Przeslawski (2-3) pitched all nine innings and allowed nine hits and four earned runs.
 
Barfield finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI, and Moriarty also had three hits in five at bats. Lopez and Cowan each drove in two runs while hitting 1-for-4.
 
Sophomore Hunter Halford pitched all six innings in the contest against Elon late in the afternoon. She went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs and three RBI to lead the offense as well.
 
The Phoenix, though, got things going with three runs in the first inning. Kristin Hoover hit a two-run single to highlight the opening frame.
 
NSU answered in the third. Three straight singles by senior Devon Bitler, Moriarty and junior Jaylene Pryor loaded the bases. One out later, Lopez walked to score one run, and Halford hit into a fielder's choice to make it 3-2.
 
Back-to-back doubles and a sacrifice fly scored a pair for the Phoenix in the bottom of the third. Down 5-2, the Spartans added two more runs in the fifth when Lopez walked and came home on a two-run bomb by Halford, her second home run of the season.
 
Hoover's solo homer in the fifth and another sacrifice fly for the Phoenix in the sixth extended their lead to 7-4. NSU added its last run of the game in the seventh when Halford doubled and eventually scored on Gillo's RBI single.
 
Hoover finished 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI as Elon improved to 12-8.
 
NSU piled up 12 hits in the game, with Bitler, Moriarty, Gillo and senior Kayla McNair all joining Halford with two hits each.
 
Halford (4-3) gave up 11 hits and seven runs, six earned, in six innings of work.
 
The Spartans play Fairleigh Dickinson at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday and the host Phoenix again at 4:45.