Hampton sweeps doubleheader over Morgan State
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team opened conference play on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep over Morgan State at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium, taking the first game 5-2 before winning the second game 10-1 in five innings.
The Lady Pirates (11-12, 2-0 MEAC) snapped a five-game losing streak.
Morgan State held a 1-0 after the top of the first inning of the first game, before the Lady Pirates tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from freshman Danielle Budden – in what was just the start of a banner day for her.
Hampton took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, when redshirt-sophomore Raenelle Taylor scored after junior Margaret Wilkins reached on a fielder’s choice.
Morgan State tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, before the Lady Pirates struck the decisive blow in the bottom of the frame. After sophomore Diamond Ponds reached on a fielder’s choice and Wilkins walked, Budden cracked a three-run home run to give Hampton a 5-2 lead.
It was Budden’s fourth homer of the season and her third in the past week.
Budden, Taylor, and sophomore McKalee Rouse each had two hits in the first game, and Budden drove in four runs.
Junior Jailynn Jackson picked up her seventh win of the season, striking out four batters and scattering six hits in a full seven innings of work.
Hampton wasted no time setting the tone in the second game, as junior Kerissa Burruel hit her first home run of the season – a grand slam to left field that gave the Lady Pirates a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Pirates added three runs in the bottom of the second inning, starting with a single down the right field line from Wilkins that brought in Ponds. Budden followed that with an RBI triple to center, before sophomore Taylor McCoy brought home Budden with a sacrifice fly to left field to put Hampton up 7-0.
Rouse doubled home a pair of runs in the third inning, before Wilkins tripled to right field to bring in Rouse and give the Lady Pirates a 10-0 lead.
Morgan State (3-11, 0-2 MEAC) scored its lone run in the top of the fifth inning.
Wilkins and freshman Taylor Clark each had three hits in the second game, while Burruel drove in four runs and Wilkins brought in another two.
Sophomore Jecholia Pratt picked up her fourth win of the season after tossing a three-hit gem, striking out two in five innings.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com
Spartans Continue Power Display in DH Sweep of Coppin State
NORFOLK, Va. – Robyn Mitchell and the rest of her Norfolk State softball teammates continued their offensive display for the second straight doubleheader, as NSU opened MEAC play with a pair of wins over Coppin State, 8-2 and 12-3, on Saturday afternoon.
Mitchell had the biggest day by far, and two days after hitting three homers in a doubleheader sweep of Rider. This time on Saturday at the NSU Softball Field, the junior finished the afternoon against the Eagles 5-for-6 with three runs and nine RBI.
Mitchell now is hitting 8-for-13 with six runs, one double, four homers and 15 RBI in the last four games.
The Spartans had 27 hits over the two games against CSU, as NSU improved to 8-13 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Coppin State fell to 3-10 overall and 0-2 in the first conference games of the year.
Mitchell had one of NSU’s four home runs in the second game, and the Spartans broke it open with a combined nine runs in the fifth and sixth innings to run-rule the Eagles.
Coppin State had opened the game with a solo homer, but Mitchell’s hard-hit RBI single off the first baseman tied it up at 1-1 in the first. In the third, senior Morgan Boyd scored on a wild pitch, and sophomore Heather Dunning came home on a sac fly to shallow center by Mitchell.
CSU got a run back in the fourth to make it 3-2 in favor of NSU, but the Spartans really turned it on in the fifth. A pair of singles by freshman Mikki Haury and Boyd put two runners on, and one out later Mitchell launched one deep over the right-center field fence for a 6-2 lead.
The Spartans then batted around in the bottom of the sixth to end the game with two outs.
Junior Liz Riley opened the frame with a solo shot to left, and one out later junior Sommer Di Fulgo and Haury launched back-to-back solo homers. Haury’s bomb landed to the right of the satellite dish way beyond the left-center field fence.
After a CSU pitching change, Boyd hit a bunt single and scored one out later on Mitchell’s infield single. Junior Alina Moriarty dropped one into left field, and both she and Mitchell came home when freshman Kayla McNair smacked a hard roller past the infielders and all the way to the wall in right center.
Senior Stephanie Wheatley (1-4) earned the win in relief, giving up just two hits and one unearned run in three innings.
Senior Jamie Schulle (7-5) picked up the victory in game 1, scattering seven hits in seven innings while allowing two runs, one earned, with five strikeouts.
Unlike the second game when NSU scored late, the Spartans got on the board quickly in the first game of the day thanks to a a five-spot in the second inning.
Mitchell’s RBI single got the scoring started in the first inning, and after the Eagles plated two runs in the second thanks to an NSU error, the Spartan bats came alive in the bottom of the frame.
Riley led off with a sharp double to left center, and one out later Di Fulgo’s single to center put runners on the corners. After CSU recorded the second out of the inning, the wheels fell off for the Eagles.
Boyd’s infield single loaded the bases, and Dunning’s hit back through the circle scored two runs. She and Boyd moved into scoring position with a double-steal, and back-to-back walks issued to Mitchell and Moriarty made it 4-2.
McNair hit a two-run single past the first baseman, and Riley drew a walk to load the bases again. Relief pitcher Ellie Vogel finally got out of the inning on a fielder’s choice to short.
Mitchell added two more RBI to her weekend total in the fifth on a two-run double over the left fielder’s head.
Boyd had a solid day, finishing 5-for-7 with six runs scored and five stolen bases. McNair drove in four runs, while Dunning, Riley, Di Fulgo and Haury all had three hits over the two games.
Norfolk State will finish out the series Sunday at 11 a.m. at the NSU Softball Field. The game time has been moved up from its original start time of noon due to the threat of inclement weather later in the day.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Delaware State Settles for Split with Mount St. Mary’s to Continue Weekend Cluster
DOVER, Del. – The Delaware State softball team (13-7) began the second day of a busy weekend Saturday afternoon at home with a tough 2-1 loss in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mount St. Mary’s Mounts (9-14-1), but bounced back in game two with a 5-1 victory.
In game one, the contest was scoreless until the fifth inning when catcher Holly Buckel of Mount St. Mary’s capitalized with runners in scoring position with an RBI-single to bring in pinch runner Rachel Heintz from third. Later in the frame, DSU’s Sandy Hawthorne attempted to catch Buckel stealing second, but her throw was off target as outfielder Jessica Greenewald scored from third to make it a 2-0 ball game.
After holding the Mounts in check the rest of the game, the Hornets generated some momentum in the seventh, beginning with a Chloe Oro single, followed by outfielder Nicole Gazzola reaching first on an error as Oro advanced all the way to third. With outfielder Jessica Madrid at the plate, Gazzola and Oro executed a double steal situation as Oro scored on the throw to get Gazzola out at second.
Madrid, meanwhile, managed to draw a walk, yet designated player Tara Tursellino in the ensuing at-bat grounded out to pitcher Nicole Pagano (7-6) for the second out.
The Hornets caught a break when Hawthorne was drilled by Pagano to load the bases, but DSU could not breakthrough as infielder Rochelle Sablay grounded out to Tori Belloc at short to end the game.
Offensively, the Mounts tallied eight hits, led by outfielder Megan Baker’s 2-for-3 outing at the plate, whereas the Hornets managed six hits. Additionally, the Hornets stranded 11 runners on-base and committed three errors.
Senior Rachel Meagley (1-2) picked up the loss, despite only completing the first inning after being replaced by freshman Vanessa Ciocatto (5-3). For the Mounts, Sam Lichtner (2-4) recorded the win while allowing four hits, three walks and totaling four strikeouts.
Game two, on the other hand, was a different story for the Hornets as they took a 3-0 lead after a two-run RBI-double by Hawthorne in the first inning and a Oro RBI-single in the following frame. In the fifth, same score, DSU increased its lead to five with a Tursellino RBI-double to bring in Madrid and Gazzola.
With the game seemingly in hand, the Hornets left the door slightly open for a Mount St. Mary’s comeback when right fielder Kaitlyn Slater muffed a pop fly hit by infielder Marissa Mayes as pinch runner Katy Bobbitt scored from second with two outs.
However, the Hornets shunned the Mounts with Tursellino (7-2) forcing Belloc to ground out to complete a stellar performance in the circle of allowing just three hits, no walks, no earned runs and fanning three batters.
At the plate, DSU tallied eight hits with Gazzola and Madrid both going 2-for-3 with two runs scored to lead the way.
Tomorrow, the Columbia Blue & Red will wrap up the Sean Savage Epilepsy Awareness Memorial Tournament with a doubleheader (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) against the Cornell Big Red.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com