#1S Bethune-Cookman vs. #4N Howard
Allison Garcia threw a four-hit shutout as the Wildcats (29-23) won their seventh straight game. The Wildcats will face the winner of the Morgan State/Norfolk State matchup Thursday evening at 7 p.m.
B-CU took a 1-0 lead in the third when Aurelia Gamch doubled and scored on a Garcia single. The Wildcats blew the game open in the fourth, capitalizing on two Bison (17-25) errors to plate five runs.
The Wildcats put an early end to the game in the fifth when Ashton Hinds doubled home Briana Leverett and scored on a Howard error.
Hinds and Leverett each had registered two hits and two runs scored. Gamch also scored twice.
Garcia walked none and struck out three as she improved to 22-10 on the season. The 2011 MEAC Pitcher Of The Year is now 12-0 against MEAC competition.
#1N Delaware State vs. #4S South Carolina State
Stephanie Martello and Ashely Davis each drove in two runs as Delaware State downed South Carolina State 10-4 in the opening round of the MEAC Softball Championship Tournament Thursday morning.
The Hornets (30-17) will face the winner of the Florida A&M/Coppin State game Thursday at 7 p.m. while the Bulldogs (10-43) meet Howard at 4:30 p.m.
Martello and Davis delivered their runs in the first as DSU took an early 4-0 lead. South Carolina State closed to 6-4 in the fourth on RBI singles from Tonya Giles, Denita Carter and LaTavia Riley, but the Hornets pulled away with a three-run six where they capitalized on three SCSU errors.
2011 MEAC Player Of The Year Jordan Reid went 2-3 with a triple for DSU.
Carter and Riley each had two hits for the Bulldogs.
#2S Florida A&M 3, #3N Coppin State 1
In game three, the Lady Rattlers fought a fierce battle against the Coppin State Eagles.
The game was scoreless until the fourth when FAMU's Christina Robb scored off an RBI by Tera Gainer. Gainer scored once more in the inning for a 2-0 lead. The junior led the Rattlers with two hits, including a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Coppin State scored a run in the top of the seventh, as Heather Josker drove in Jade Dudley, for CSU's lone score.
Florida A&M pitcher Jennifer Lindsey shut down the Eagles, as she came on in relief for Whitney Robinson in the in the seventh. Robinson got the win for the Rattlers as she went six and one third innings. She gave up four hits and one run, while striking out three Eagles. Lindsey gave up one hit and struck out one of the three batters in relief.
Coppin State posted five hits for the game, with five different Eagles getting one hit apiece. All-MEAC First-Team selection Paige Arnold went the distance for CSU. She pitched six innings, allowing three runs and six hits, while gathering five strikeouts.
#3S Norfolk State 5, #2N Morgan State 3
Norfolk State defeated Morgan State in the final opening round game of the afternoon. The Spartans won their 13th game in a row and improved its record to 23-23 on the season, while Morgan State fell to 16-26.
A three-run third inning put NSU up top, 3-0, but the Bears fought back, scoring a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to tie it up at 3-3. Holland, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI on the day, hit one down the right field line in the seventh inning, just out of the reach of MSU second baseman Amber Frame. Junior Danielle Wright and freshman Morgan Boyd came around to score, and junior starter Casey Pomeroy shut down the Bears in the bottom of the frame for the win.
Pomeroy (13-8) allowed three runs, one earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts as she won her eighth game in a row. Megan Johnson (5-4) suffered the loss, giving up all five runs, two earned, with eight hits and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
Wright and Boyd scored a pair of runs each for NSU, while senior Jeanette Sauceda went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Tiffany Rubin and Boshia Richardson added two hits each for Morgan State.
#4N Howard 12, #4S South Carolina State 4
South Carolina State fell in he double-eliminatin bracket of the MEAC Softball Championship tournament at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Florida.
South Carolina State loss to Howard 12-4, while the Bears of Morgan State were shutout by Coppin State 6-0.
The Howard Lady Bison advanced and will face the loser of the Florida A&M/ Delaware State game. Coppin State awaits the loser of the Bethune-Cookman/Norfolk State matchup.
Denitia Carter got on the board first for the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State on a RBI by Shannon Baity. Howard countered with an Emily Johnson score off a Marisa Coats RBI double.
Tied at one apiece, the Lady Bison broke up the game scoring four runs in the second inning. The Lady Bulldogs attempted to close the gap with a score of their own as Taylor-Anne Harris scored off a Chelesa Evans RBI. Heading into the third, the Lady Bison maintained a 6-4 lead.
Howard continued their pace in the fourth inning with two runs on two hits. They closed out the fifth and final inning with four more runs putting the mercy rule in effect to end the game at 12-4.
Emily Johnson (3-13) allowed four runs on two hits with three strikeouts. Raven Johnson (5-23) took the loss, giving up five runs, five earned, with six hits in 1.2 innings of play.
#3N Coppin State 6, #2N Morgan State 0
In the second game of the double-elimination bracket, Coppin State defeated cross-town rival Morgan State 6-0.
The Lady Eagles got on the board first scoring three runs in the initial inning.
CSU's Amber Miller scored on a two RBI double by Paige Arnold followed with a run scored by Heather Josker to lead 3-0. CSU got on the board one more in the third and twice in the fifth to secure the 6-0 shutout.
Paige Arnold (15-10) allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out nine batters. Jordan Eades (11-19) took the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, with 11 hits.
Amber Frame and All-MEAC first-team selection Tamara Griffin were both 1-of-2 for the Bears.
Arnold led the Eagles with two RBI on 3-of-3 from the plate.
Admission for the 2011 MEAC Softball Championship is $5 for youth, students and seniors. Discounted ticket packages for all three days can be purchased for $12.
For more information on MEAC Softball or other sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACsports.com.
#1N Delaware State 4, #2S Florida A&M 3
Delaware State outlasted Florida A&M 4-3 in the Thursday nightcap of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship tournament at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex in Ormond Beach, Fla.
Delaware State advances to tomorrow's semifinal game against the defending MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
The Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M scored one run in the top of the first to take the lead. The Hornets answered with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game. The game would stay knotted at one until DSU scored another run in the bottom of the third inning, and again in the fourth inning, leading point 3-1 over the Lady Rattlers.
FAMU rallied in the top of the sixth inning to tie the score at three apiece. In the bottom of the seventh inning, 2011 MEAC Player of the Year Jordan Reid slide home to score the winning run and keep the Lady Hornets in the winner's column.
Senior shortstop Erika Garcia led the Lady Rattlers from the plate. She went 2-for-3, with an RBI. Francesca Singletary, Tera Gainer, Genesis Lopez and Courtney Harold, each notched one hit each.
Jennfer Lindsey, took the loss for the Rattlers. She pitched seven innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. She struck out three Lady Hornets in the loss.
Stephanie Sarris, earned the win for DSU. She pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up six hits and two runs. Ashlyn Campbell started the game for DSU, going one third of an inning, allowing one run and four walks.
The Lady Rattlers will face the Howard Lady Bison at 10 a.m. in the double-elimination game tomorrow.
#1S Bethune-Cookman 6, #3S Norfolk State 3
Bethune-Cookman defeated Norfolk State 6-3 to conclude the opening day of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Tournament undefeated Thursday at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
The defending MEAC champion Wildcats (30-23) will face Northern Division champion Delaware State in the winner's bracket Friday at 1 p.m. The Hornets escaped Florida A&M 4-3 in Thursday's other late game.
B-CU answered runs scored by NSU leadoff hitter Danielle Wright in the first and third and gradually pulled away with a run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
On defense, Allison Garcia got out of a bases-loaded jam and another with two Spartans in scoring position. The game ended with a Michelle Banuelos-Smith to Aurelia Gamch to Sabrina Ferguson relay that caught a Spartan runner for the final out.
Cesley Tafoya drove in two runs for the Wildcats, while Ashton Hinds and Aurelia Gamch each had two hits.
Down 1-0, B-CU took the lead in the first when Tafoya singled home Gamch and Garcia scored on Kelsey Rodney's sacrifice fly. The lead increased to 3-1 in the second when Gamch doubled home Brianna Leverett.
Norfolk State closed to 3-2 in the third, but could get no closer.
Hinds scored on Tafoya's sacrifice fly in the fourth, Hinds doubled home Banuelos-Smith in the fifth and Sabrina Ferguson tripled home pinchrunner Amari Foster in the sixth for B-CU.