Savannah State Softball Claims MEAC Southern Division Title
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah State softball team claimed the program’s second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division regular season title on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of South Carolina State on Lady Tiger Field in Savannah.
The Lady Tigers edged by the Lady Bulldogs 4-0 in game one, and followed that with a 10-1, five inning victory in game two to improve to 12-1 in conference play and seal up the title.
Savannah State softball won the program’s first regular season title in 2012, its first year of competition within the conference. They will receive a No.1 seed into the 2015 MEAC Softball Championship Tournament, set for May 7-9 in Ormond Beach, Fla.
The Lady Tigers will conclude the 2015 regular season with the final game of the series with South Carolina State on Sunday at 12 p.m. Senior Day ceremonies will precede the game.
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, SSU will claim its fourth consecutive winning season. They improved to 18-15 with Saturday’s wins. Currently, the Lady Tigers are on a program-high 12-game MEAC win streak.
For complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com or www.scsuathletics.com
Norfolk State and Hampton split doubleheader
HAMPTON, Va. – The Norfolk State softball team got off to a good start in the three game series with Hampton on Saturday afternoon. The tandem of junior third baseman Whitney Williams and freshman pitcher Marissa Marrero carried NSU to a 5-1 win over HU at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium.
Errors on the Spartans in game 2, though, allowed Hampton to come away with an 8-0 win in five innings. Six of the eight runs scored by Hampton in that second contest were unearned.
The Spartans saw their record move to 13-25 overall and 12-5 in the MEAC, while Hampton pushed its overall mark to 19-23 and its MEAC record to 11-5.
NSU needs a victory over Hampton on Sunday in the final game of the series to finish as the No. 2 seed in the Northern Division heading into next week’s MEAC tournament. A victory coupled with a loss by Delaware State against UMES would give the Spartans a tie for first place in the division, although the Hornets own the tiebreaker over NSU for the No. 1 seed.
A loss to the Pirates would drop the Spartans to the third seed. Either way, NSU will open up the conference tournament next Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
The two teams will finish out the series on Sunday at noon.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.hamptonpirates.com
Hornets Set Program Consecutive Win Mark with Doubleheader Sweep Over UMES
DOVER, Del. – The Delaware State softball team (19-21, 13-4 MEAC) made history at home against the UMES Hawks (7-31, 4-13 MEAC) by winning both games in Saturday’s doubleheader, beginning with a 4-0 shutout, followed by a 9-1 six-inning triumph. With these victories, the Hornets pushed their season-long winning streak to 12 games, which is the longest in team history.
Game one featured the Hornets’ second consecutive shutout victory, their fourth of the season, led by sophomore Tara Tursellino (13-14) relinquishing four hits, a walk and tallying three strikeouts. Offensively, DSU scored three runs in the sixth, headlined by a two-run Dominique Little RBI-double. As a team, the Columba Blue & Red tallied seven hits, while outfielder Nicole Gazzola extended her hit streak to 15 games with a leadoff single in the first, the longest of any Hornet this season.
Game two, on the other hand, saw DSU tally 11 hits, highlighted by infielder Jordan Stamps (9) connecting for a pair of two-run homers, including a bomb in the sixth to spark a five-run output. Putting the finishing touches on the sweep was Gazzola, who extended her hit streak 16 with an RBI-single up the middle to bring in freshman Khaliyah Flournory from second to seal the win.
Delaware State will aim for the series sweep tomorrow 1 p.m., in what will be the final regular season game for both squads.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.umeshawks.com
Coppin State earns split decision against Morgan State
BALTIMORE – Coppin State split with crosstown rival Morgan State as the Lady Eagles won the opener, 2-1, in eight thrilling innings and dropped the nightcap, 9-4 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
In the first game, Candace Van Horn finished the game by smacking a long home run to leftfield. It was the 14th homer and her 29th multi-hit game of her awesome career. In the second game, Danielle Smith and Samantha Denlinger also enjoyed multi-hit performances. With her four hits over the two games, Smith raised her batting average to .360.
The final chapter of the 2015 season will be written Sunday when Coppin State and Morgan State battle each other at 12:00 p.m. Morgan State and Coppin State are like the Yankees and Red Sox of MEAC softball.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com or www.morganstatebears.com
Wilson lifts NCCU past Aggies, 2-1
DURHAM, N.C. – Sophomore Dominique Wilson tossed a seven-strikeout complete game without allowing an earned run and she hit a go-ahead home run in fourth to lead North Carolina Central University to a 2-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) softball victory over rival North Carolina A&T University Saturday afternoon at Parkwood Athletic Field.
The Lady Eagles kept their playoff chances alive with the series opening win. NCCU (17-26 Overall, 3-9 MEAC) can secure the fourth and final Southern Division seed to the 2015 MEAC Softball Tournament with a sweep of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Aggies. However, NCAT (13-28, 5-8) can eliminate the Lady Eagles and advance to the postseason with just one win in Sunday’s twin bill that will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday’s games also serve as Senior Day for NCCU.
Wilson had NCCU’s final hit with a single in the sixth to finish her day 2-for-3 from the plate.
NCAT held a 6-5 hit edge but all six base hits allowed by Wilson were singles.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.ncataggies.com