BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Sophomore pitcher Hunter Halford threw seven shutout innings to help the Norfolk State softball team to a split of its two games on Friday in the Camel Stampede Invitational at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.
 
Halford gave up four hits as NSU shut out Rider, 4-0, in the second game of the tournament. In game 1, Appalachian State scored seven runs in the second inning on the way to a 10-0 victory over the Spartans in five innings.
 
Halford suffered the loss in that contest, but she rebounded against the Broncs to run her overall record to 4-1. She only worked out of one serious jam in the sixth for her second shutout of the season. NSU ended the day with a 4-4 overall record on the year.
 
Freshman Alyssa Cowan hit a two-run double in the sixth for the Spartans to help break open a tight game against Rider (0-6). Norfolk State had taken a 1-0 lead in the second on Halford's RBI single. Then in the sixth, senior Kayla McNair and freshman Meaghan Barfield walked, and Cowan followed with her double to right center to score both.
 
Up 3-0, Halford allowed the first two Rider batters to reach in the bottom of the sixth. She got the next two outs on hits back to the circle and then induced a fly out to end the inning. The Spartans then added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after junior Jaylene Pryor singled and eventually scored on an error.
 
In the first game of the day, Appalachian State's seven-spot in the second inning did most of the damage, and three more runs in the fifth eventually ended the game on the eight-run rule.
 
Sidney Russell hit a two-run double to chase Halford in the second inning, and Jenny Dodd added a two-run single later in the frame to complete the early scoring. Junior relief pitcher Megan Przeslawski slowed down the Mountaineers until Russell hit a two-run triple in the fifth and scored on an error on the same play.
 
Russell hit 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI, and Dodd batted 2-for-2 with three RBI for the Mountaineers (8-7). Annaleise Kennedy (2-2) got the win after allowing six hits in five shutout innings.
 
For NSU, senior Devon Bitler had a pair of hits in two at bats as NSU finished with six hits against Appalachian State. She ended the day 3-for-4.
 
NSU will play Appalachian State again on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and host Campbell at 5:30 p.m.