HAMPTON, Va. – Taylor Warrick's bloop single into left field scored the game-ending run in the bottom of the ninth for Hampton in a 3-2 win over the Norfolk State softball team on Sunday afternoon at the HU Softball Stadium.
 
NSU fell despite a seventh-inning rally that saw the Spartans score a pair of runs to force extra innings. They had a great chance in the eighth but could not convert, and Hampton used a two-out rally in the ninth to complete the three-game sweep.
 
Hampton improved to 19-20 overall and 14-1 in the MEAC. The Spartans fell to 12-24 and 5-13 in the conference in their last MEAC game of the season.
 
In the seventh, junior Megan Przeslawski singled to center with one out and went to third on sophomore Kylee Lopez' double into the left-center field gap. Sophomore Shelby DesChamps then hit a soft single through the hole between first and second to tie the score at 2-2.
 
NSU had just one hit through the first six innings before those three straight hits.
 
After Hampton stranded a runner on third in the seventh, the Spartans loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with one out. But an infield fly followed by a called strike three on a pitch up in the zone ended that threat.
 
In the ninth, Danielle Budden doubled to the left-center gap with two outs, and Warrick followed with a bloop single that fell between the shortstop and left fielder to bring home the winning run.
 
Budden went 3-for-3, while Warrick batted 2-for-4 with two RBI.
 
DesChamps batted 2-for-3 with two RBI, and senior Devon Bitler also had a pair of hits for the Spartans.
 
The Pirates added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to account for their early lead.
 
In the fourth, Jada Fields doubled with no outs, moved to third on a sac bunt and then scored on a suicide squeeze from Morgan Crawford for the first run of the game. Hampton added its second run in the fifth on a pair of infield hits followed by a sacrifice fly to center from Warrick.
 
Przeslawski took the loss, giving up nine hits and three earned runs on 8.2 innings of work. Allie Hotetz (8-7) earned the win for Hampton after pitching two innings in relief and allowing one hit with two strikeouts.
 
Norfolk State will finish out its 2017 season next Sunday when the Spartans host North Carolina A&T for a non-conference doubleheader at 2 p.m. at the NSU Softball Field.