NORFOLK, Va. -- The Norfolk State University softball team split its two games on Saturday against the Bison of Howard University at the NSU Softball Field in Norfolk, Va. The Bison took game one 7-4 while the Spartans won game two 9-1 in six innings to conclude action on Saturday.
Game one saw the Bison (8-14, 1-1) take an early lead in the top of the first inning while holding the Spartans (9-11, 1-1) scoreless for three innings. NSU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning following a two-run homerun by catcher
Rylie Gilbreath to give Norfolk State a one-run lead, 2-1.
Howard evened the score in the top of the fifth inning while adding five runs in the top of the sixth to take the 7-2 lead.
NSU answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, as T.C. Watson scored on a
Kenna Higa single to left field, and Higa came home on a sacrifice fly by
Morgan Johnson to center, putting the score at 7-4. The Spartans held the Bison of the scoreboard in the seventh, but the Bison also held the Spartans off the board in the bottom half, as Howard took game one, 7-4.
Game two was a different story as momentum shifted in favor of Norfolk State who ultimately claimed a 9-1 win in six innings.
After the opening two innings went by scoreless, Howard got on the scoreboard first off a double in the top of the third.
From there on, the game was all Spartans who scored in each of the last four innings for the win. NSU started with a trio of runs in the bottom of the third and followed with three more in the fourth. A solo run in the fifth and a pair in the sixth combined for NSU's nine runs.
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Gabby Vaughan double to left center drove in two RBI, while Lilly Potter singled to right to send in
Victoria Taylor who pinch ran for Vaughan for the three third inning runs.
Vaughan drove in two more RBI in the fourth on a sac groundout to get the scoring going, as T.C. Watson and
Imani Moore came home on a throwing error by the first baseman.
Kenna Higa doubled to right field to drive in the third run scored by Rylie GIlbreath.
Lily Potter scored in the fifth inning on a single by Yrall Davis that put the score at 7-1. NSU in the bottom of the sixth saw Higa come home on while
Alison Guckin stole second to pull the Bison attention to the middle infield. The last score of the game came on on a
Lauren Sheehan double to left that scored Guckin ending the game in six innings after the Spartans gained an eight-run lead.
Lauren Sheehan threw a complete game in the second contest of the day giving up one run on three hits while striking out two batters.
Lily Potter was 3-of-4 with a run and an RBI.
Norfolk State takes to the field again tomorrow to wrap up the three game series against the Bison at 11:30 AM at NSU Softball Field. The game will be aired on ESPNU.
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