BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Norfolk State softball team got a measure of revenge on Saturday in a win over Appalachian State, but the Spartans could not sweep their afternoon games after host Campbell hit a walk-off homer in the Camel Stampede Invitational at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.
The second day of the tournament saw NSU defeat Appalachian State 3-1 after the Mountaineers had run-ruled the Spartans the day before. Down by five runs, Norfolk State then rallied to take the lead against Campbell, but the Camels scored once in the sixth and once in the seventh to win, 7-6.
Junior
Megan Przeslawski pitched a complete game against the Mountaineers, while NSU's bats came alive against Campbell. In the end, NSU ran its record to 5-5 on the year, as the Spartans have split on all five game days this season.
It was certainly a wild finish to the last game of the tournament. Campbell went ahead 5-0 after a run in the second inning and four in the third. An error on NSU allowed two of those runs to score in the third, and all four runs in the frame were unearned.
The Spartans began to answer in the very next inning. With one out and a runner on first, sophomore
Kylee Lopez homered to center field for her first long ball of the season. Senior
Kayla McNair then singled and went to third on a double by sophomore pitcher
Hunter Halford. An RBI groundout off the bat of freshman
Alyssa Cowan made it 5-3.
An inning later, the Spartans scored three more off Campbell starter Holly Brooks to make it 6-5. Senior
Devon Bitler led off the fifth with a single, and two outs later Barfield singled. Lopez then doubled home a run, and after McNair was hit by the pitch, Halford smacked a two-run single to put the Spartans ahead.
Campbell then tied it up with another unearned run in the sixth. After NSU went 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh, Amber Schisler led off the seventh and drove a 2-0 pitch over the fence in walk-off fashion.
Halford (4-2) suffered the loss, giving up 10 hits and seven runs in 6-plus innings, although just two of those runs were earned. Schisler's home run also gave her the win in relief for Campbell (13-8), as she improved her personal record to 5-4.
Lopez batted 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, while McNair, Halford and Bitler each had two hits as well. Halford also drove in two runs.
Against Appalachian State, Przeslawski (1-3) allowed four hits and walked five but gave up just the one earned run in all seven innings for her first win of the year. NSU, meanwhile, scored all of its runs in the first inning.
Junior
Seana Moriarty singled with one out and went to third on junior
Jaylene Pryor's double to left field. McNair singled in the first run, and Lopez walked to load the bases. Barfield then followed with a two-run single to score both Pryor and McNair, making it 3-0 as NSU chased two different Mountaineer pitchers in the opening frame.
The Mountaineers (10-8) left a pair of runners on base in the third and finally got on the board in the fifth when Natalie Orcutt hit a solo home run. Appalachian State relief pitcher Kenzie Longanecker, meanwhile, was in the midst of shutting down the Spartans after that first inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Appalachian State had its best chance of the day to either tie or take the lead. With two outs, Przeslawski gave up a hit and then walked the next two batters to load the bases. She got out of the inning when she induced a flyout off the bat of Sidney Russell for the final out of the game.
Longanecker pitched 6.2 innings and allowed just one hit and struck out six. Barfield drove in two runs as the teams combined for nine hits altogether.
NSU will compete at the Elon Phoenix Tournament next Saturday and Sunday.
