NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State softball saw plenty of home plate on Thursday afternoon at the NSU Softball Field, piling up its most runs in the MEAC Tournament in more than 20 years in a 17-3 victory over North Carolina A&T.
The excitement boiled over for the Spartans, who had several big hits in the third and fourth innings when they scored a combined 13 runs. NSU moved on to play Morgan State at noon on Friday in the next round to determine who will advance to Saturday's championship game without a loss.
NSU got to Friday unscathed thanks to an offensive explosion. Sophomore
Imani Moore went 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI to lead the attack. Seniors
Jazzmaine Hammond and
Tuli Iosefa each hit two-run home runs, and freshman
Yrral Davis hit a bases-clearing, three-run triple as well. The Spartans improved to 20-17 overall.
Sophomore
Alexis Robinson (6-6) earned the win in the circle after allowing just two hits and three runs, one earned, in 4.2 innings of work.
NSU benefitted from six North Carolina A&T errors. Two runs scored in the first when the ball got away from left fielder Jai Deese on a base hit off the bat of junior
Brooke Bond. The Aggies (11-30) scored single runs in the first and second, but NSU plated two more in the second as well.
A wild pitch scored one run that inning, and Moore hit an RBI single for a 4-1 lead at the time. Then in the third, it all fell apart for the Aggies.
With the bases loaded and one out, Davis lined one into the right field corner for a three-run triple. Hammond immediately followed with a two-run homer to left center, but the Spartans were not done. Moore doubled, and Iosefa blasted a two-run shot to left center as well for an 11-2 lead.
The Spartans added six more runs in the fourth. One run scored on a bad throw to second on a stolen base by senior
Jade Dixon, and Moore eventually cleared the bases with a double down the right field line. Bond later added a sac fly, and junior
Denisha Megginson capped NSU's day with an RBI single to left field.
A&T added a run in the fifth but left the bases loaded to close out the game.
Davis and Iosefa each scored three runs. In addition to 10 hits, the Spartans also drew eight walks. S'Niyah Stinson (6-12) was tagged with the loss after pitching two innings and allowing four hits and six runs, three earned.
Only twice has NSU scored more runs in a MEAC Tournament game, including a 23-0 win over Coppin State in 1998. Thursday's scoring burst was the most runs scored for the program since a 21-0 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore in the 2000 tournament. It also marked the most runs the Spartans scored in any single game since an 18-1 win over Howard in 2018.
Following the NSU-MSU game on Friday, A&T and N.C. Central will play at 3 p.m. in an elimination game. The winner of that contest will then take on the loser between Norfolk State and Morgan State in another elimination game at 6 p.m.
Saturday's championship begins at noon as well.
