Freshmen Lead SSU In Sweep Of N.C. Central
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State softball team, led by a pair of freshman, opened a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series with North Carolina Central on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep.
Trailing late into game one, freshman Torrian Wright sparked the offense to lead the Lady Tigers to a 7-4 win. From the mound in game two, freshman Amanda McDowell pitched a stellar seven innings to lead her team to a 5-1 win.
The Lady Tigers improved to 19-14 overall and 3-2 in the MEAC. The Lady Eagles fall to 2-28, and 1-6 in the conference. Savannah State concludes the series on Sunday with the third game. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. at Lady Tiger Softball Field in Savannah.
Hedderly garnered her 15th pitching win of the season after seven innings of work. She allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
London Booker was tagged with the pitching loss after 4.2 innings in the circle. She allowed five runs (one earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Booker is 1-18 from the mound.
In game two, McDowell pitched a no-hitter through the first four innings against the Lady Eagles. In the fifth, Bianka Molina doubled to center, ending McDowell’s chance at the elusive no-no.
McDowell picked up her third win of the season after a full seven in the circle. She allowed one run (no earned) on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
N.C. Central’s Kayla Mcpeek was tagged with her first pitching loss of the season after 2.1 innings in the circle. She allowed five runs (no earned) on five hits with two walks and a single strikeout.
The Lady Tigers are batting .464 as a team for the season. SSU has nine players currently batting over .300. Wright leads SSU with a .383 batting percentage and a .809 slugging percentage.
For the complete story visit www.ssuathletics.com or www.nccueaglepride.com
Hornets extend Streak with Sweep of Bears
Dover, Del. --- The Delaware State University softball team has stretched its win streak to four after a sweep of Morgan State in a MEAC North doubleheader today. The Hornets won the first game 10-2 and completed the sweep with an 8-5 victory in the nightcap.
In the opener, the first four batters in the DSU line-up were a combined eight-for-11 with six runs batted in. Rochelle Sablay was two-for-two with three RBI; and Jess Madrid had two hits and drove in two in three at bats to key the Hornets’ 12-hit attack.
Delaware State opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Chloe Oro singled and stole second to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Madrid tripled to right center to score Oro with the game’s first run. Sandy Hawthorne and Jen Fischbach added run-scoring singles in the inning.
The game was called after Morgan State failed to score in the fifth due to the eight-run rule.
Oro and Nicole Gazzolla added two hits each for the Hornets in the opener.
Delaware State starter Rachel Meagley was the winning pitcher. Meagley allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out four in three innings.
In the nightcap, Delaware State trailed 3-2 before scoring six runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to take control. Oro singled in the first two runs of the inning to give the Hornets a 4-3 lead. Gazzolla followed with a double to stretch the lead to 5-3. Sablay doubled in a run, while Madrid and Fischbach added run-scoring singles in the sixth.
Oro was three-for-three with two runs batted in, while Gazzolla had three hits and a RBI in four at bats on game two.
Delaware State is now 3-2 in the MEAC (9-21 overall). The Hornets will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the DSU softball complex.
For the complete story visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.morganstatebears.com
Timely Home Runs give NSU Sweep of UMES
NORFOLK, Va. – A pair of timely home runs for the Norfolk State softball team eventually forced extra innings against UMES on Saturday afternoon, and the Spartans came out victorious in the first game of a doubleheader, 4-3 in 10 innings.
NSU then finished the sweep of the Hawks with an 8-5 victory in the second game between MEAC Northern Division foes at the NSU Softball Field. Senior Chelsea Davis blasted a three-run homer in the five-run first to help the Spartans pull ahead in an eventual Game 2 victory.
The Spartans improved to 8-0 in the conference and 15-17 overall, but it was not without some challenges early on against the pesky Hawks. Carmen Gurrola pitched a solid game for the Hawks (10-21, 2-6 MEAC), striking out nine and allowing five hits and four runs, just one earned, in a complete game effort.
UMES had 11 hits in the game, with Cherokee Williams and Morgan King each tallying three of those hits. Despite having just five, NSU's hits came at the most opportune times.
Riley (5-7) got the win after allowing five hits and one earned run with five strikeouts in 6.2 innings of relief. Ward and Williams each had two of NSU's five hits in the game.
NSU finally found some consistent offense in the second game against UMES starter Belen Benitez (2-9). NSU's five-run first immediately put the Hawks in a hole. Freshman Heather Dunning and sophomore Alina Moriarty singled to open the game, although Dunning got thrown out trying to reach third on Moriarty's hit to right.
Moriarty and Ward each went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, while Valles (2-for-3, three RBI) and Davis (2-for-3, four RBI) provided plenty of offensive production in the middle of the order.
The two teams will finish out the series Sunday at noon. The game is also Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
For the complete story visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.umeshawks.com
Lady Rattler Softball splits a pair with North Carolina A&T
GREENSBORO, N.C.- The Florida A&M Softball team split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with North Carolina A&T with the Lady Aggies winning game one, 9-4 and the Lady Rattlers winning game two, 9-6, here Saturday afternoon at Aggies Softball Complex.
FAMU (9-27, 2-2 MEAC) was led by Brielle Gordon from the plate as she finished with two of the Lady Rattlers five hits.
N.C. A&T (4-21, 2-2 MEAC) was paced by Sabrina Edmonds as she finished with a team high three hits from the plate, followed by both JaxKaye Woodard and Alejandress Barcenas as they both finished with two hits each for the Lady Aggies. N.C. A&T finished the contest with a game high 13 hits.
Shelby Snyder (3-1) got win for N.C. A&T as she went the distance pitching seven complete innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and striking out three in the 30 batters she faced, while Jennifer Lindsey receive the loss for the Lady Rattlers, as she pitched three innings, allowing nine hits, five earned runs and striking out one in the 18 batters she faced.
In game two, FAMU finished the game with nine hits as Myrick led the Lady Rattlers from the plate with two hits.
A&T recorded game high 13 hits as they had five Lady Aggies to finish with two hits each.
Lindsey (5-17) got the win for FAMU as she pitched three and two-third innings, allowing three hits, one run and striking out five in the 15 batters she faced, while Ashleigh Minter got the start for FAMU as she pitched three and one-third inning, allowing 10 hits, and five earned runs in the 20 batters she faced.
Ashire Dobison (0-13) receive the loss for A&T as she pitched seven innings, allowing nine hits, seven earned runs and striking out two in the 34 batters she faced.
FAMU will return to action on Sunday, April 7 as they will conclude their three-game series with North Carolina A&T at Aggies Softball Complex in a 12 p.m. start.
Eages post sweep of Howard
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
Gabriel Ziller hit a two-out, game-winning home run in game one and
Danielle Smith singled in the winning run in extra innings of game two leading Coppin State to a dramatic sweep of Howard in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday.
Ziller's home run lifted the Eagles to a 3-2 victory in game one, while Smith's eighth-inning single carried Coppin State to a 7-6 win in the second game.
Trailing 2-1 entering the top of the seventh inning of game one, the Eagles rallied to stun the Bison.
With one out, Heather Josker was hit by a pitch to start the rally. One out later, Ziller blasted a home run giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
Howard put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but winning pitcher Alyssa Barker was able to record a pair of fly outs to secure the win for the Eagles.
The second game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Howard tie the game at 6-6 with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the Eagles eighth inning, Barker walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a ground out. Barker moved up to third base on a wild pitch and then scored when Smith singled putting the Eagles ahead 7-6.
Winning pitcher Samantha Denlinger retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure the victory and complete the sweep.
Coppin State improved to 10-17 overall and 5-3 in the MEAC while Howard moves to 4-20 overall and 3-5 in the MEAC
For the complete story visit www.coppinstatesports.com or www.howard-bison.com
Lady Wildcats sweep South Carolina State
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman maintained its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division lead with a pair of one-run victories – 4-3 and 9-8 – over South Carolina State Saturday afternoon.
Aurelia Gamch scored the game-winning run for the Wildcats (10-28 overall, 4-0 MEAC) in the opener and the Wildcats jumped out to a 9-4 second inning led in the second game before holding off a Lady Bulldogs (13-15,2-3) rally.
In game one Gamch scored three runs and had three hits for B-CU, but came up biggest after the Lady Bulldogs tied the game with a three-run sixth.
The senior shortstop led off the seventh with a single, advanced to second on Simone Ceasar’s bunt single and scored on a throwing error on Kelsey Rodney’s bunt.
B-CU took a 1-0 lead on Rodney’s RBI triple in the first and expanded the lead on RBI singles from Gamch and Melissa Berouty in the third.
Calesha Shelley and Ceasar each had two hits for B-CU in the opener.
Game two the Wildcats capitalizing on six walks and four errors, Rodney had an RBI double and Michele Banuelos-Smith a two-run triple to highlight the seventh.
South Carolina State closed to one run with two runs each in the fifth and sixth, but Shanel Tolbert got two putouts from third baseman Sophia Ortega and a pop foul behind the plate from Berouty to preserve her second win of the day.
The series concludes Sunday at noon.