NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team came away empty in two tries against Howard on Saturday afternoon, as the Bison swept a conference doubleheader from the Spartans at the NSU Softball Field.
Howard scored four runs in the sixth inning to win the first game by a 4-2 score, and the Bison rallied with three runs in the seventh of game 2 to earn a 6-5 victory.
The losses dropped NSU to 10-4 in MEAC play and 23-18 overall. With a pair of wins on Saturday, Morgan State moved to 9-4 in the league to sit a half game behind the Spartans for first place in the MEAC Northern Division.
NSU can clinch at least a share of the division title with a win or an MSU loss on Sunday. The third game of the series – also Senior Day for NSU – between the Spartans and Bison will start at noon. Norfolk State will honor its seniors prior to the game.
The Bison (15-25, 8-6 MEAC) won thanks to late rallies in both games. In game 1, it came in the sixth as they broke through with four runs. The inning was highlighted by Trinity Gibbs' two-run double to the wall in center and an RBI single from pinch hitter Kaylen Samuel that ended up scoring two runs on the play.
The Spartans got one run back in the bottom of the inning when freshman
Alison Guckin hit a pinch hit double and later scored on freshman
Lily Potter's RBI single. But after sophomore
Jade Dixon doubled to put runners on second and third with one out, the Spartans could not push another run across.
They left 10 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the first. The Spartans did score in the first when sophomore
Jazzmaine Hammond beat out a bunt single to plate junior
Shelby DesChamps.
Senior
Hunter Halford (12-10) suffered the loss after allowing eight hits and four runs, three earned, with five strikeouts. Tracey Mosley (5-8) gave up seven hits in 5.1 innings for the victory with Mackenzi Steele pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless relief without allowing a hit for the save.
Potter had two hits for the Spartans.
Steele (10-15) got the win in game 2 after allowing six hits and five runs, four earned, with nine strikeouts in all seven innings. Sophomore
Skylar Swain (8-6) took the loss after allowing 10 hits and six runs, three earned, with five strikeouts.
Down 4-3 going into the seventh, Howard put the first two runners on base via a walk and error. Kalita Dennis then stole third and scored the tying run when the ball got away from the Spartans. Gibbs doubled another run home, and the last run of the inning for Howard scored on a double steal attempt.
NSU took the first lead of the game when freshman
Gabby Vaughan hit a solo homer in the second for the early 1-0 advantage, but the Bison scored a pair in the top of the third for a 2-1 lead.
NSU immediately responded, as Hammond hit a bunt single before senior
Kylee Lopez launched a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left in the bottom of the third. The Bison, however, tied it up on an RBI hit in the fourth.
Halford's sac fly in the fifth put the Spartans back ahead by one before the Bison rallied in the seventh. Lopez hit her second homer of the game, and her eighth of the season, in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to one.
Lopez finished the game 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI.
