Howard used two seventh-inning comebacks to earn a doubleheader sweep of the Norfolk State softball team Wednesday afternoon, winning 5-4 and 8-7 in a pair of conference games at the NSU Softball Field.
Despite 23 hits on the afternoon, including 18 in Game 2, NSU slipped out of first place in the MEAC Northern Division thanks to some untimely errors late in both contests. Samantha Gatson hit a three-run home run and pitched a solid seven innings in the first game for Howard, while six different players had at least two hits in the second contest.
NSU fell to 20-22 overall and 9-5 in MEAC play, while Howard improved to 11-32, 8-6.
Sophomore Morgan Boyd hit a combined 6-for-7 in the two games, while junior Gipsy Ramirez went 4-for-7 with three runs scored. Seniors Danielle Wright and Whitney Holland, sophomore Kathy Cortez and freshman Haley Ward each had two hits in Game 2.
Both teams were cruising in Game 1 until the Bison put three runs on the board in the fourth. Dominique Lawrence and Trina Kindred singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Gatson then launched a homer over the left-center field fence for a 3-0 lead.
NSU, though, got a run back in the bottom half of the frame on a fielding error on the Bison, but Gatson escaped out of the inning when freshman Whittni Gray flied out to deep left-center with the bases loaded.
After the Bison stranded the bases loaded in the sixth, the Spartans took a 4-3 lead in the latter half of the inning thanks to three Howard errors. Ward and Ramirez reached base on back-to-back fielding errors on the left side of Howard's infield. After the players moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, a throwing error on Andascha Moore-Pryor at third on a hit by sophomore Nikki Jones allowed both runners to score.
Jones went to third on the overthrow to first that skipped down the right field line. She then came home on Gray's RBI groundout to make it 4-3.
Howard, though, responded with the tying and winning runs in the top of the seventh. Rebecca Kirshner reached on an infield error to start the frame. One out later, Moore-Pryor doubled to the right-center field gap, and Kirshner scored when Wright bobbled the ball trying to track it down. Kindred then lined a single to center for the game-winning run.
Gatson got the victory after pitching all seven innings, allowing four runs, none earned, and five hits. Lawrence, Kindred and Gatson each had two hits in the contest.
Kirshner's RBI single in the first inning got the Bison on the board in Game 2, and Howard stretched the advantage to 3-0 thanks to a pair of unearned runs.
NSU responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, all with two outs, to tie it up. Cortez and Ramirez singled to put runners on the corners, and freshman Liz Riley hit an RBI single to left center to get NSU on the board. Holland singled toward the left field line to plate Ramirez.
Sophomore Melina Valles poked one through the left side to score another run, but NSU stranded the bases loaded tied 3-3. Howard took a 7-3 lead with four runs in the sixth, but against the Spartans answered with four runs of their own in the inning.
Four straight singles to open the frame scored the first run for Howard, and then a fielding error and a single from Kindred plated two more runs. Gatson hit into a fielder's choice for the last run of the inning.
Cortez and Ward singled to lead off the sixth, and both came home when right fielder Briana Banks let Ramirez' single get past her for a two-base error. Riley's RBI groundout scored Ramirez, and a short time later Wright lined one into center field to score Gray.
Kirshner scored the game-winning run in the seventh after Ramirez booted a hit back towards the middle of the infield, allowing Kirshner to score from second.
The two teams combined to leave 26 runners on base and left at least one runner on in every half inning.
Gatson (5-18) earned the win in relief despite allowing 11 hits and four earned runs in 3.1 innings of work. Kirshner went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, while Lawrence and Jenny Ly each added two hits and two runs scored.
Riley (10-13) suffered both losses on the day in relief, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with four strikeouts in Game 1. In the nightcap, Riley gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits in five innings.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.howard-bison.com