HAMPTON, Va. – Redshirt senior Tuli Iosefa hit a single through the left side in top of the seventh inning against Central Connecticut State to lead the Norfolk State softball team to a split on day two of the HU Classic at Hampton. The Spartans dropped the morning game against St. Bonaventure, 7-2, before rebounding against the Blue Devils.
The Spartans improved to 6-3 overall after going 3-1 at the HU Classic with two wins over CCSU and a run-rule win over the Bonnies on Saturday.
Both teams opened the first game with hits in the first inning but both stranded runners, not allowing the other to get on the scoreboard. In the second inning against SBU, junior Cam Andersen struck out the first two batters before inducing a groundout to senior Lily Potter at second base.
Junior Loren Hudson led off the third inning with a full-count walk with freshman Hannah Jessie coming in to pinch run. Junior Morgan Johnson sacrificed bunted Jessie to second before Andersen smacked a shot into left field allowing Jessie to score and giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead after two innings.
The third inning saw SBU score their only runs of the game with seven runs on four hits along with three NSU errors in the frame. The Spartans started their half of the third with a pair of hits by Potter and junior Imani Moore to put runners on second and third with no outs. Senior Gabby Vaughan pushed Potter across the plate on a sacrifice bunt to pull the Spartans within five. Despite another hit and walk by the NSU in the third, the Bonnies escaped the inning allowing just one run on three hits.
For the test of the game, it was a defensive effort with both teams not allowing anymore runs and SBU picking up their first win of the season after going 0-2 on Saturday.
Against the Blue Devils in the final game of the HU Classic, it was the Spartans' turn to take an early lead. Potter led off with a single to center field with Moore following up with a single through the left side to put Potter on second. Iosefa followed up with a fielder's choice, that was initially called a hit, that loaded the bases.
The Spartans scored when a wild pitch by CCSU allowed Potter to touch home plate. Redshirt sophomore Yrral Davis hit a deep ball to center field that was caught, but it allowed Moore to tag up and put NSU ahead 2-0. Neither team allowed more than four batters to come to come to the plate until the bottom of the third.
After a leadoff double by the Blue Devils, a flyout to left field allowed the baserunner to reach third. A fielder's choice to the shortstop scored a run and cut the Spartan lead in half, 2-1. It took three more innings before another run was scored by either team when in the bottom of the sixth CCSU led off with a singled up the middle and groundout to the pitcher that put a runner on second. Another hit to right center tied the game up at two runs apiece. A Spartan fielding error put two runners on the bases.
The Blue Devils hit a single down the left field line scoring another run, but the runner on first over slide into second and was tagged out by Potter. With CCSU having a 3-2 lead, Andersen came in and pinch hit for sophomore Gabby Gosman and drew a full count walk. With one out, Potter singled through the left side that advanced Jessie, who was pinch running for Andersen, to second base. A slow bunt towards the pitcher Moore loaded the bases with two outs.
On the second pitch she saw, Iosefa smacked the ball through the left side scoring both Potter and Jessie, giving NSU a 4-3 lead. After a hit batter reached first, another overrun by the Blue Devils saw freshman Rylie Gilbreath throw the bunt down to second where Johnson just reached over and tagged the runner who had stepped off second base. Freshman pitcher Brierra Tyler got a strikeout and induced a flyout to left field to give the Spartans the 4-3 come from behind win.
The Spartans finish the HU Classic going 3-1 over the weekend. Moore led the way with eight hits on .571 batting average with two doubles and a triple. She slugged .857 over the four games and added a stolen base. The Spartan pitching staff totaled 24 strikeouts in the four games while allowing only three earned runs for a 0.81 ERA on the weekend.
NSU will return home next weekend when they play four games as part of the Battle at the Bay, hosting Wagner, Youngstown State and Penn. The first game of the event is slated for Friday against Wagner at 3 p.m. on the NSU Softball Field.
