Hornets Complete Busy Weekend with a Doubleheader Sweep Over Cornell
DOVER, Del. – The Delaware State softball team (15-7) wrapped up its busy weekend stretch of six games in three days on Sunday with a pair of 2-0 and 3-1 victories over the visiting Cornell Big Red (7-10) to complete the Sean Savage Epilepsy Awareness Memorial Tournament.
With these wins, the Hornets concluded the weekend at 5-1 overall, including a 4-0 mark as the only team in the tournament field out of Cornell and Central Connecticut State to go undefeated.
To open the day, the contest was scoreless until DSU’s Tara Tursellino put her squad on top with a base-clearing RBI-double to bring in Chloe Oro and Jessica Madrid for the lone two runs of the game.
After holding the Big Red at bay in sixth, head coach Janice Savage inserted Tursellino (3) to secure the win for starter Vanessa Ciocatto (6-3), who finished the game allowing three hits, two walks and fanning three Cornell batters. Despite Cornell’s Leanne Iannucci reaching on an error to leadoff the frame, Tursellino shunned the next three batters to pick up the save.
As a unit, the Hornets tallied eight hits, led by outfielder Jessica Madrid going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Game two, meanwhile, featured the Big Red taking a 1-0 lead in the second by way of an Iannucci fielder’s choice RBI. Nevertheless, Cornell would be shutout by Tursellino (8-2) and the rest of the Hornets defense for the remainder of the afternoon.
In the third, DSU managed to score all of its runs, beginning with a two-run Tursellino RBI-single to right center, followed by catcher Sandy Hawthorne driving in Tursellino with a double off the center field wall.
At game’s end, Tursellino picked up her team-best eighth win of the year allowing seven hits, no earned runs, no walks and recording two strikeouts. Offensively, despite the Hornets totaling five hits, Tursellino went 2-for-3 as the only player in the game to record a multi-hit performance.
Coming up, the Columbia Blue & Red will take on Lafayette in a doubleheader at home this Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com
NSU Wins Home Run Derby with Coppin State, 16-9
NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State and Coppin State softball teams played a little home run derby late Sunday morning at the NSU Softball Field, and the Spartans continued their hot streak at the plate with 22 hits in a 16-9 victory.
The win, its fifth in a row, gave NSU a sweep of the three-game series with Coppin State and improved the Spartans’ record to 9-13 overall and 3-0 in the MEAC. CSU fell to 3-11 and 0-3.
The teams combined for six home runs on a day when the wind was blowing out to right field by almost 20 mph. Sophomore Heather Dunning was the benefactor of that strong gust, as she hit her first career homer as part of a 5-for-5 day with four runs and three RBI.
Senior Morgan Boyd batted 5-for-5 as well with five runs and two stolen bases, while freshman Kayla McNair knocked home five runs as part of a 4-for-5 effort.
Norfolk State had its most hits in a game since tallying 22 at UMES on April 27, 2011.
The Spartans scored exactly three runs in five of the six innings they came to the plate, and they chased CSU starter Alyssa Barker after just two at bats in the first.
A bunt single and then an RBI double by Barker gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead to start the game, but NSU responded in the bottom of the frame. Boyd singled to third base and scored all the way from there when a bad throw on the putout attempt scooted down the right field line. Dunning then followed with her homer to right center – eliciting a hands-over-mouth, shocked response from the lefty as she rounded the bases – to chase Barker.
With junior Alina Moriarty on first with one out, McNair hit one past the first baseman to put runners on the corners. Another error on CSU brought home another run before relief pitcher Candice Van Horn (0-1) got out of the jam.
After two errors on the Spartans put two runners on to start the second, Van Horn followed with a three-run shot to give CSU the lead back, 5-3. NSU again had the answer, as Boyd hit an infield single and then stole second and third bases before coming home on a single by Dunning. She then stole second and came home on a bloop single by Moriarty down the left field line.
McNair knocked a double to the left center field wall to give the Spartans a 6-5 lead.
Boyd dropped an RBI single into left center in the third inning to continue the scoring, and Dunning beat out a hit to the first baseman to load the bases. Junior Robyn Mitchell plated one run on an RBI groundout, and Moriarty singled through the hole between short and third for the third run of the frame.
Williams launched a homer over the right center field fence in the fourth, and after CSU got that run back in the fifth, NSU added three more runs. With the defense playing way in, Boyd surprised the Eagle players by smacking one all the way to the wall for a triple, her first extra-base hit in three years.
Dunning’s infield single scored Boyd, and two outs later McNair blasted one off the light pole in right center. A three-run homer by Kimberlynn Brown in the sixth got CSU to within 13-9, but the Spartans continued to pour it on in the bottom half of the sixth.
Singles by freshman Mikki Haury and Boyd put the first two runners on, and Dunning dropped one into center field to load the bases. Moriarty singled to center for one run, and McNair followed with a double to deep left center for the final two runs of the game.
Moriarty finished 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.
Senior Stephanie Wheatley (2-4) got the win in relief for the second game in a row, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
The Spartans will hit the road to take on Howard next weekend.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
The Lady Hawks complete three-game series sweep over Howard
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) softball team wrapped-up the weekend with a season-series sweep over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) rival, Howard University, after taking the third game, 9-4, at Lady Hawks Field.
With the victory, the Lady Hawks moved to 6-24 overall (3-0 MEAC) while Howard dropped to 1-16 (0-3 MEAC) on the season.
Junior Morgan King had an outstanding performance as she went a perfect 4-of-4 from the plate while Trenece Nash posted two RBIs in the win.
After back-to-back walks from New Jersey-natives Chelsea Alston (Matawan) and Vanessa Gomez, King singled to leftfield to load the bases with no outs. Next at-bat, Nash drove in the first run of the day as she sacrificed fly to leftfield, bringing home Alston, 1-0. UMES added another run in the inning to take an early lead, 2-0. Howard responded in the second, scoring a run to cut the deficit, 2-1, but Maryland Eastern Shore answered.
Freshman Allison Anderson led off the bottom second with a single, followed by a wild pitch to put her in scoring position. A costly error from the Lady Bison extended UMES' lead, 3-1. Later in the inning, a RBI-single through the left side by King drove in Alexis Hudson (Laurel, Del.), making the score 4-1 after two innings of play.
Down early, Howard refused to give in as they continued to battle. The Lady Bison scored a run in the third and fourth, including a lead-off homer from Imani Ballard in the top third to trim the deficit, 4-3. In the bottom fourth, Howard's mistakes came back to haunt them as Maryland Eastern Shore capitalized to score three runs and ballooned their lead, 7-3.
In the fifth inning, another run from the Lady Bison chopped UMES' lead down to three, 7-4, but the Lady Hawks put a rally together in the sixth.
Gomez opened the inning with a single to centerfield, followed by another single by King. With runners in scoring position and one away, Kaitlyn Hitch reached base on a fielder's choice, bringing home Gomez and King. Hitch also pitched the final inning and held Howard scoreless; thus, Maryland Eastern Shore won by the final score, 9-4.
Other notable Hawk performances included Ciara Schnyder going 2-of-3 with a RBI while Abria Tinsley picked up her first-career win after pitching three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits. Tinsley also struck out three Lady Bison in the victory.
For Howard, Ballard and Anasia Stinson each recorded two hits in the contest. Ballard went 2-of-4, including a solo home run, whereas Stinson also batted 2-of-4 with a pair of singles in the loss.
Next weekend (03/29-03/30), UMES travels to Baltimore to face Coppin State University (CSU). Saturday's game-times are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. Sunday's first-pitch is set for noon.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com or www.hubison.com