NORFOLK, Va. - In a faceoff between the two top two teams in the MEAC, the Norfolk State softball team fell to the Howard Bison in both doubleheader games on Saturday: 10-2 through five innings in game one and 7-3 in game two.

The Spartans (21-20, 14-6 MEAC) host the Bison (25-17, 19-1 MEAC) for their last regular season series of the season. 

Qween Edmonds started off game one strong with a hard hit triple down the right field line to lead off. Lauren Sheehan's RBI sacrifice fly scored Edmonds to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

The Bison posted two runs on two hits and an error to take a 2-1 lead over the Spartans through one inning.

Emory Shorts, the Spartans' leader in doubles, hit her 10th of the season to lead off the second inning. Amaya McPherson scored Shorts on a double of her own to tie the game at 2-2.

The Bison took the lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly to score one run, going up 3-2 over the Spartans.

Howard scored seven runs in the top of the fifth on nine hits to secure the win.

The Spartans started hot in the second game behind an RBI triple from Kailey Bryant in the bottom of the first inning, as Norfolk State took an early 1-0 lead over Howard.

Howard took a 3-1 lead by scoring three runs in the top of the third.

Sheehan and Bryant hit their first home runs of the season in back-to-back at-bats to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Spartans.

The Bison scored four runs in the top of the seventh to seal the 7-3 victory, holding Norfolk State scoreless in the bottom of the half inning to close the game.

Norfolk State will be seeded second in the 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Tournament set to take place Wednesday, May 7 to Saturday, May 10. 

The Spartans will celebrate their six seniors in tomorrow's Senior Day game against Howard. The game will begin at 12 p.m.

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