NORFOLK, Va. – A walk-off and a run-rule game saw the Norfolk State softball team close out a MEAC series with a doubleheader win over Delaware State on Sunday. Prior to the start of game one, six Spartan seniors were honored for their contributions to the softball program over the past few years.
Jade Dixon, Alison Guckin, Tuli Iosefa, Lily Potter, Joana Vallejo and Gabby Vaughan were each presented with flowers and gifts by NSU President Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston and Athletics Director Melody Webb.
Once the field ready for the first pitch, both teams realized it would be a long haul game.
Both the Spartans and DSU each got base runners early on but could not find a way to get them home as it was a scoreless game through the first five innings.
The Hornets led off the top of the sixth with a bunt single by Jules Ceron and throwing error on the next at bat allowed DSU to have runners on the corners with no outs. A hard hit single to second brought home the first run of the game with DSU taking a 1-0 lead. Yanique Spencer would follow up reaching first on a fielder's choice as Jaelyn Baker attempted to score but was thrown out by Alexis Robing in the circle to Loren Hudson for the first out. A play at first from Vaughan to Potter got the second out, but the Hornets scored a second run and put the lead at 2-0. A quick groundout to Robinson ended the inning.
Not wanting to be behind going into the seventh, Vaughan led off the Spartans' half of the inning with a double down the left field line. After Yrral Davis popped up to second, Potter singled through the right side which allowed Vaughan to reach third. Hudson followed up with the third hit of the inning for NSU with a single through the left side that allowed the Spartans to cut the lead in half with Vaughan scoring.
When Morgan Johnson struck out for the second out of the inning, both Hudson and Potter reached the next base, but an attempted throw to third to get Potter out allowed her to take another base and tie the game up at 2-2 after six complete. It was three up, three down for the Hornets in the top of the seventh with a strike out, ground out and pop foul fly.
Iosefa led off the bottom of the seventh for the Spartans with a double on the first pitch she saw to left center. Gabby Gosman sacrifice bunted Iosefa over to third base. Knowing how strong of a hitter she was, DSU decided to intentionally walk Vaughan to put runners on the corners. After a steal by Vaughan, the Spartans had runners at second and third with just one out. However, Davis came through with a single to left field scoring Victoria Taylor, who was pinch running for Iosefa, for a walk off hit.
Robinson got the complete game win for the Spartans allowing just one earned run while striking out a pair. She induced 12 groundouts and seven fly outs in the game. She improved to 15-3 on the season. Sydney Hoffman took the loss for the Hornets and fell to 1-11 on the season after pitching the final 1.0 innings.
After a break to cool down in the 83 degree heat, the Hornets got things started in game two much quicker than before. Ceron reached on a fielding error and Baker followed up with a 2 RBI home run to center field to give DSU and early 2-0 lead.
Not to be out done, NSU answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Guckin was hit by a pitch by Hoffman. An error at third base allowed Potter to reach safely and Guckin reached third base, after previously stealing second. Iosefa walked on five pitches to lead the bases for Kenna Higa, who hit a grand slam on Saturday against the Hornets. While not a bases clearing hit, Higa did single through the left side scoring both Potter and Guckin, tying the score at 2-2. After being intentionally put on base in her last at bat during game one, Vaughan took the first pitch she saw over the center field fence for a three-run home run and immediately put the Spartans ahead by three at 5-2. With two outs, Lauren Sheehan hit a single to second base and Johnson hit a double to left field trying to extend it to a triple, but got tagged out, not before Sheehan touched home plate and giving NSU the 6-2 lead.
After hitting through the lineup in the first, Guckin led off for the second straight innings with a double to left center and Potter continued the hitting streak with a single to right center. Iosefa then became the second Spartan senior to hit a three-run home run in the game with a knock over the left field fence and extending the lead to seven. Later in the frame, Rylie Gilbreath came around and scored off a single by Davis to center field that pushed the score to 10-2 in favor of NSU.
A scoreless third by both teams led to the Spartans adding three more runs in the fourth. Iosefa led off with a single before Higa hit her second home run of the series down the left field line scoring Cam Andersen, who had come in and pinch ran for Iosefa. Elizabeth Ritchie doubled down the left field line before Gilbreath singled to left center, scoring Ritchie and putting the Spartan lead at 13-2. It was three up, three down again for the Hornets in the top of the fifth that gave NSU the run-rule win.
Vallejo pitched the first three innings collecting both the win and two strikeouts; the second giving her 100 strikeouts for the season. Brierra Tyler came in relief pitching the final two innings not allowing a run to score and adding two strikeouts of her own. Hoffman took the loss for the Hornets after allowing the six runs in the first inning.
Vaughan had a weekend for the Spartans hitting .857 (6 for 7) against DSU while slugging a dominating 1.859 over the three games with a pair of home runs, a double, and three singles.
It will be a quick turnaround for NSU (30-17, 15-3 MEAC) will play its final non-conference match-up of the regular season when it travels to ACC foe NC State (31-19, 7-14 ACC) on Wednesday. The doubleheader with the Wolfpack gets underway at 1 p.m.
