The Norfolk State softball team, the fourth seed in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference southern division, pulled off a 4-3 upset of northern division top seed Hampton on Thursday in the 2008 MEAC Softball Championship at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

The Spartans (20-31) dominated the entire game and held off a late rally by Hampton (31-17) in the seventh inning to give NSU head coach Kary Kankey the first MEAC Tournament win of her three-year tenure.

NSU struck first in the top of the first inning when All-MEAC second-team pick Brianeisha Eure scored from third base on a wild pitch by Jada Jeffries.

The Spartans posted three more runs in the fifth. Micki Rodriguez walked with bases loaded to score Sarah Wittwer and Rebecca Barnes followed with a two-run single to center field to give NSU a 4-0 lead.

The Lady Pirates were very quiet until the bottom of the seventh inning. Ashley Weissenbach singled up the middle to score Jennifer Cuellar to get the Hampton its first run of the game and Brooke Boykin later scored from third on a fielder's choice.

Hampton got one more run on an error by Spartan second baseman Jackie Peaton, but Amanda Black popped up to Barnes to end the game and give the Spartans their first win over Hampton since a 4-1 win at the Lady Pirate Field on May 6, 2007.

Jeffries fell to 7-5 on the season with the loss after allowing three hits, four runs (one earned), walking two and striking out two in five innings. Ky Brown earned the win for NSU. She gave up seven hits, three runs (one earned), walked five and struck out four in her seventh complete game of the season.

Angela Balser led the Lady Pirate effort by going 2-for-2 with a run and two walks. Hampton out-hit NSU 7-4, but committed five errors along the way.

Four different Spartans had accounted for the team's four hits and Barnes had two of NSU's three RBI.

NSU will take on the winner of the No. 2 North Carolina A&T - No. 3 Delaware State game at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.

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