BALTIMORE, Md. – The Norfolk State softball team came away empty on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader at the Diamond at UMBC. The Retrievers topped the Spartans in a twinbill sweep, 5-2 and 7-0.
NSU was locked in a tight battle in game 1, which turned UMBC's way after the Retrievers hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. A five-run fifth in game 2, aided by several Spartan miscues, allowed UMBC to walk away with its second victory of the day.
Junior
Shelby DesChamps had three hits on the afternoon, including one of the team's two hits in the second contest. She and sophomore
Jazzmaine Hammond each went 2-for-3 in the first game, accounting for all four of the team hits there.
NSU fell to 17-14 overall this season, while the Retrievers improved to 17-12.
They struck first in game 1 thanks to an error on the Spartans in the first inning that led to an early 1-0 lead. The Spartans got out of a jam with the bases loaded in the second and then finally put a run up in the fifth on Hammond's solo homer to center.
But in the sixth with two outs and a runner on base, a walk and a single loaded the bases for UMBC's Courtney Coppersmith, who launched a grand slam to left center to break the tie. NSU freshman
Gabby Vaughan scored the last run of the game in the top of the seventh after drawing a one-out walk, moving to third on an infield single from Hammond, and then crossing home plate on an error on UMBC when Hammond stole second.
Coppersmith (12-6) earned the win after allowing four hits and two runs, one earned, with 10 strikeouts in all seven innings of work. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and four RBI.
Halford (9-8) gave up eight hits and five runs, four earned, with five strikeouts in six innings.
In the second contest, the Retrievers scored a pair of runs in the fourth on a single and hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded for a two-run lead. Thanks in part to four errors on the Spartans, UMBC scored five runs in the fifth to extend its advantage to 7-0.
Gillian McCarthy (5-6) allowed just two hits in seven innings of shutout work for the win. The Retrievers finished with nine hits, but they also left nine runners on base.
NSU will be off this weekend from MEAC play and will next play at Hampton for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday at the HU Softball Stadium.
