NORFOLK, Va. – Kenna Higa, Loren Hudson, and Morgan Johnson all homered in the fourth inning of game two, but it was not enough as the Norfolk State softball team earned a double-header split with Morgan State in MEAC action from the NSU Softball Field.
Tuli Iosefa singled up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in game one, scoring both Alison Guckin and Lily Potter to get the 6-5 walk-off win before the Bears scored a run in the top of the eighth inning and held NSU scoreless to win in extra innings.
Iosefa got things started in the first inning for the Spartans when she batted in Potter from third to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. However it was short lived as the Bears responded in the second when a error by the Spartans allowed Asia Thomas to tie the game up at 1-1.
In the third, Potter walked to start the inning before Alison Guckin singled to left field. A fielding error by MSU allowed Potter to come around to score and Guckin to reach third safely, giving the Spartans the lead once again at 2-1. In her second at bat of the game, Iosefa singled through the right side scoring Guckin and extended the NSU lead to 3-1.
A clean fourth inning for both teams was followed by the Bears leading off with a pair of hits including an RBI single by Aliya Ewell through the right side allowing a run to come in from second, pulling MSU within one.
A costly error in the seventh saw the Bears pull even at 3-3. Three batters later, a throwing error allowed two more runs to come across giving MSU a two-run lead. Cam Andersen came into pitch and induced an infield fly and a strikeout to end a bases-loaded jam.
Yrral Davis grounded out to lead off for the Spartans in the bottom of the seventh and Hudson followed with a groundout to third. Gabby Gosman reached first on a fielding error by the pitcher and Potter singled through the left side to put runners on first and second for the Spartans. A misplayed by at second allowed Guckin to reach second while Potter made it to third. Gosman scored from third on the error, pulling NSU within one.
Iosefa then took a 1-1 pitch up the middle scoring both Guckin and Potter for the walk, 6-5 win in game one.
All but the final run was scored in the second through fourth innings in game two.
Victoria Fletcher hit a full count home run for the Bears in the top of the second inning, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. In the Spartans half of the frame, Higa opened with a walk and Imani Moore singled to second. After MSU got a fly out and strikeout, Andersen smacked a double to deep center field that allowed both Moore and Higa to score giving NSU the 2-1 lead.
The Bears returned the favor in the top of the third when a double allowed a pair of runs to score handing MSU a one-run lead.
The bats came alive for both teams in the fourth, staring with a three-run, four-hit inning for MSU. All four hits were singles to the outfield, one to each designated fielding location, and a second to center.
Down 6-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth, Higa started off with an 0-2 pitch over the left center field fence that bounced off an electrical box and onto Marty L. Miller Field (baseball). Moore then hit a single to the pitcher before Hudson pinch hit for Davis and took her own 0-2 pitch over the outfield fence in left, pulling the Spartans within one at 6-5.
With two outs, Johnson hit a nearly identical ball to Hudson's over the left field fence on a 2-1 count to tie the game at 6-6. Neither team was able to score a run through the end of the seventh inning, forcing extra innings.
With two outs, the Bears got a single down the left field line scoring the runner that is placed on second base to start the extra inning. Moore would advance Victoria Taylor, who was placed on second for the Spartans in the bottom of the inning before MSU collected a groundout and strikeout to get the game two win, 7-6.
NSU (16-14, 3-2 MEAC) will conclude its series with the Bears (12-10, 4-1 MEAC) on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 noon from the NSU Softball Field.
