Green Leads Hornets Past Bucknell In Rain-Shortened Game
DOVER, Del. - Rain wrecked havoc on Delaware State University's annual Sean Savage Epilepsy Awareness Tournament, but the Hornets were able to get one game on record as freshman Bria Green went 3-for-3 with her first career home run to lead DSU over Bucknell, 8-3, in a rain-shortened game of six innings at the Hornets Nest.
The game, originally scheduled for 10:30 a.m., eventually got underway around 2 p.m. after the completion of Bucknell vs. Cornell and a two-plus hour rain delay.
Senior Rachel Carroll started Del State on the right foot in the bottom of the second inning as she led off with a double to right field. The shortstop was safe at home on a fielder's choice, as fellow senior Leslie Pleasanton was safe at first, to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
With two outs and the bases loaded, senior Tawny Reeger cleared the bases and gave the Hornets a 4-0 advantage with a double to left field before the end of the second.
In the top of the third, the Bison scored a run of their own to come within 4-1, but left three base runners stranded in the inning.
With rain looming in the distance, Bucknell put the pressure on DSU, scoring two runs on two hits and an error in the top of the fifth inning.
The Hornets responded in the bottom of the frame as senior Casey Beighley walked to lead off for DSU before Green sent a shot over the centerfield wall for her first career home run and a 6-3 lead. Del State tacked on another run as freshman Kelsey Doherty singled and made her way around the bases on an error by first baseman Courtney Conover.
DSU allowed a leadoff hit by Mary Horton before three straight outs.
With the rain starting back up, sophomore Stephanie Martello tripled down the right field line and then scored on a single up the middle from Beighley to give the Hornets an 8-3 lead. Green then walked to load the bases when the home plate umpire called a rain delay and officials agreed upon finalizing the game.
Martello and Beighley each went 2-for-3 with a walk on the afternoon for the Hornets. Martello scored two runs while Beighley recorded one run and one RBI.
Sophomore Stephanie Sarris picked up her sixth win of the year for Delaware State (10-11-1), going 2.0 innings and giving up three hits, two runs (both unearned) and walking two.
Beighley earned her first save of the season, allowing no runs, one hit, one walk while striking out one.
Sophomore Rachel Meagley picked up her second straight win on the year for Delaware State (10-11-1), giving up four hits and one run (earned) and one walk in 2.1 innings pitched.
Bridget Gates took the loss for the Bison (5-12), going 4.0 innings and giving up six hits, four runs (all earned), two walks and four strikeouts. Hornton led the Bison offensively, going 3-for-4, with a double and stolen base.
For the complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com
Solo Shots from Ward, Moriarty Give NSU 2-1 Win over Coppin State
NORFOLK, Va. - Freshmen Haley Ward and Alina Moriarty each hit solo home runs to give the Norfolk State softball team a 2-1 win over Coppin State Saturday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at the NSU Softball Field. The Spartans held a 1-0 lead through one and a half innings in Game 2 before rain postponed the contest.
The two teams will attempt to finish the contest Sunday at 9:30 a.m. before playing the regularly scheduled third game of the series afterwards.
Both freshmen hit their first collegiate home runs off Coppin State starter Paige Arnold in a game that featured just nine hits combined between the two teams. NSU won its MEAC opener and moved to 10-13 overall on the season, while the Eagles fell to 7-14, 0-1 in conference play.
Another freshman, starter Liz Riley, pitched a solid seven innings for the Spartans. She gave up four hits and just one earned run with three walks and two strikeouts. Arnold gave up five hits, including both home runs, with eight strikeouts in six innings of work.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.coppinstatesports.com