NORFOLK, Va. – Sophomore starter Hunter Halford threw six innings of no-hit ball before the Norfolk State softball team held on for a 7-4 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday afternoon in the first game of a three-game series at the NSU Softball Field.
 
Halford struck out six and allowed three hits and four earned runs. All three hits and four runs came in the top of the seventh, when the Bison finally broke through after getting just three runners on base in the first six innings.
 
The Spartans, meanwhile, scored two runs in the top of the first and then five more in the fifth. NSU nearly scored the eighth run of the game in the fifth, which would have ended the contest on the eight-run rule and given NSU its first no-hitter in 11 years.
 
Still, Norfolk State came away with its first win after dropping each of the previous six games. NSU improved to 10-18 overall and 3-7 in the MEAC. Howard fell to 1-25, 1-9 in conference play.
 
Senior Devon Bitler, junior Seana Moriarty and freshman Meaghan Barfield each had two-run hits to help the Spartans break out of their offensive slump. Barfield smacked a two-run single in the bottom of the first to get NSU on the board.
 
The Spartans left two runners on base each of the first five innings. It was in the fifth that they broke the game open and gave themselves some cushion.
 
With two outs in the inning, junior Megan Przeslawski reached on an error, and a hit-by-pitch and infield single loaded the bases. Bitler lofted a single into shallow left to score two runs, and Moriarty doubled over the right fielder's head for two more runs. Junior Jaylene Pryor then lined one into center field to plate Moriarty for a 7-0 lead.
 
Milan Poindexter led off the top of the seventh with a sharp single to center field in the first pitch of the at bat to break up the no-no. She later scored on a single by Imani Ballard. Two batters later, Alannah Baiyina hit a three-run homer to center field to make it 7-4.
 
Halford, though, induced a pair of groundouts on the next two batters to end the game while improving her own record to 7-9.
 
Alex Flynn (1-8) was tagged for four hits and two earned runs for Howard as she suffered the loss. Relief pitcher Alexa Walker gave up all five runs in the fifth, all unearned thanks to the two-out error.
 
Barfield and sophomore Shelby DesChamps each had two hits on the afternoon for the Spartans.
 
NSU and Howard will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the series. It will also serve as Senior Day for the softball program, which will honor four seniors prior to the start of game 1.