NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team dropped a pair of games on day two of the Battle at the Bay. The Spartans opened falling to Youngstown State 7-2 before closing out the day with a 10-2 loss to Penn in six innings.
NSU looked to get things started early when senior Gabby Vaughan singled to the shortstop in the bottom of the first scoring classmate Lily Potter from third to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. The Penguins responded in the top of the second with a pair of runs to take the lead.
In the second it was Potter's turn to bring in a run when she hit a sacrifice fly to right field that brought in freshman Rylie Gilbreath to tie the score up at 2-2. However, YSU responded once again with a single down the right field line in the top of the third inning to bring in a run and retake the lead.
The Penguins added two-run home runs in both the fifth and seventh innings to come away with the 7-2 win in the first game of the day.
After a game between YSU and Penn, NSU took the field against the Quakers. Penn jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first; a stretch that included five straight hits during the frame.
After Potter walked to start the bottom of the first, senior Alison Guckin walked on a 3-1 count before stealing both second and third base. Vaughan picked up a second RBI on the day when she hit a fly ball to center field that brought Guckin home and pulled the Spartans within two.
A scoreless second inning followed, but Penn scored a pair of runs in the third to extend their lead to four. In the fourth inning the Quakers pushed another three runs across the board and carried an 8-1 lead into the bottom half.
For the second time in the game, when Penn scored three the Spartans answered with a run in their half of the frame. Junior Imani Moore singled to the pitcher on the first ball she saw and proceeded to steal second. After a line out, junior Loren Hudson singled to left center that send Moore to third. Sophomore Victoria Ruiz came in and pinch ran for Hudson and when she attempted to steal second, the Quaker defense threw down towards the base which allowed Moore to break for home.
With the ball coming in Ruiz took second and Moore beat the tag and scored for the Spartans. The fifth inning saw no runs cross the plate before Penn scored twice in the top of the sixth and NSU went three up, three down in the bottom half to end the game on a run-rule.
The Spartans (7-5) will look to rebound against the Quakers when the two teams wrap up action for the weekend with a single game on Sunday from the NSU Softball field. First pitch is schedule for 10 a.m.
