NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Hunter Halford pitched a complete game shutout as the Norfolk State softball team split a pair of games against North Carolina Central on Tuesday night in a non-conference doubleheader at the NSU Softball Field.
 
Halford scattered five hits over all seven innings after the Spartans had been shut out in game 1. A four-run first helped the Eagles win the opening contest, 5-0, before NSU came back to win the second game behind Halford, 1-0.
 
Norfolk State scored its only run of the day in the bottom of the sixth inning of game 2. And it was Halford who helped herself out. Junior Shelby DesChamps walked, stole second and then went to third on an error to lead off the inning. One out later, she just beat the throw to home when Halford hit a ball to the shortstop.
 
Halford then retired all three batters in the seventh to run her personal record to 6-9. The Spartans improved to 19-24 on the year, while North Carolina Central ran its record to 11-22. Senior Jaylene Pryor had a pair of hits in the second game, while senior Seana Moriarty batted 2-for-3 in the first contest.
 
Eagle starter Courtney Mirabella (10-14) pitched both games. She scattered five hits in the first game and struck out 13 Spartan batters in all seven innings. She added four more K's while allowing four hits in six innings of the nightcap.
 
NSU committed three errors in the first inning of game 1, part of a four-run first for the Eagles. All four runs were unearned as NCCU hit a pair of RBI singles followed by a two-run triple from Dalika Wallace. Wallace later led off the sixth with a solo homer for the final five-run margin.
 
NSU will turn right back around and host Radford for two games on Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m.