Savannah State Sweeps Bethune-Cookman For First Place In MEAC South
SAVANNAH, Ga. – In a battle for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division, Savannah State softball took sole possession of the top spot with a doubleheader sweep of Bethune-Cookman on Friday.
The Lady Tigers improved to 10-1 in MEAC play with the two wins and 17-15 on the season. SSU and Cookman will close out the series on Saturday with a single game, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Lady Tiger Field. Cookman falls to 8-3 in the MEAC, and 15-27 overall.
Savannah State racked up a combined 24 hits over the two games on Friday. The Lady Tigers held onto a tight lead in game one, curbing a Cookman rally to win 8-5. In game two, SSU spread out 12 hits over seven innings for an 11-6 victory.
The Lady Tigers are on a 10-game MEAC win streak, the longest since the school joined the conference in the 2012 season. SSU won the MEAC Southern Division regular season title in their first year of competition in the conference.
Junior slugger Torrian Wright blasted her 16th home run of the season and tying the school record for single season home runs. Wright set the record in her freshman year.
Wright continues to lead all of NCAA Division I softball in batting average (.565), on-base percentage (.750), and slugging percentage (1.304). As a team, SSU is ranked ninth nationally in home runs per game, averaging 1.67 an outing.
Eichenlaub, a Savannah native, pitched a full game to earn her 11th win of the season. She allowed five runs (four earned) on 13 hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
The Lady Tigers had 14 hits in the game, and were led at the plate by sophomore Ama. Hallman who went 4-for-4. Amber Hallman went 3-for-4 in the game, while freshman Brianna Harris and Wright each added two hits.
In the second game, Amanda Hallman earned her sixth win of the season, pitching a full 7.0 innings. She allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Amber Hallman led the Lady Tigers from the plate in game two, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Harris, Amanda Hallman and Eichenlaub each had two hits in the game.
Savannah State will finish up the regular season with a three-game MEAC home series against South Carolina State May 2-3, before heading to the 2015 MEAC Championship Tournament in Daytona Beach Fla. May 7-9.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com or www.bcuathletics.com
Spartans Come up Big in 12-1 Win over CSU
NORFOLK, Va. - Senior Liz Riley had another solid outing in the circle, and the Norfolk State softball team scored the second-most runs in a game this season in a 12-1 victory over Coppin State on Friday afternoon at the CSU Softball Field.
A day after pitching a one-hit shutout, Riley allowed just four hits and one unearned run in shutting down the Eagles. The Spartan offense, meanwhile, had 13 hits on the day, although only four of the 12 runs were earned for Coppin State starter Ellie Vogel.
The victory guaranteed NSU a spot in next month's MEAC tournament, in which the top four teams from each division advance. The Spartans need a win over Hampton next weekend or a loss by Howard against Delaware State this weekend to guarantee themselves at least third in the MEAC Northern Division, if not better.
NSU entered the series with Coppin State tied for first in the division with Delaware State at 8-4. The Spartans now sit 11-4 in conference play and 12-22 overall. Every other team in the North will play this weekend.
Riley (4-10) struck out five and did not walk a batter in extending her streak to 14 innings without giving up an earned run. Coppin State scored its lone run in the bottom of the first following a pair of singles and then an error on the Spartans.
But it was all NSU from there, as the Eagles managed just two base runners over the last six innings of the game.
Devon Bitler hit 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Whitney Williams drove in a pair and also scored twice. Megan Dunning (3-for-3, three runs scored) and Riley (2-for-4, two runs scored) also had productive days.
The Spartans will travel to George Mason for a doubleheader on Wednesday.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.coppinstatesports.com