ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - The North Carolina Central University offense gave senior pitcher Courtney Mirabella plenty of run support early and she made it hold up as the Lady Eagles advanced past Delaware State University, 5-0, in an elimination game in the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship Tournament Thursday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Dalika Wallace provided the big blow with a three-run homer as the fourth-seeded Lady Eagles from the South outhit the third-seeded Hornets from the North, 11-2.
 
NCCU (18-25 Overall) has won seven of its last eight games and will have to play a second elimination game on Thursday against the loser of the No. 1 South seeded Bethune-Cookman University versus No. 3 South seeded Savannah State University game (that game is scheduled at 3 p.m. and the NCCU contest will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of that contest).
 
Delaware State finished its season at 12-36 overall.
 
Mirabella – a First Team All-MEAC honoree – tossed her second straight, two-hit complete game in the tournament. However, this time she got run support to earn the win. Mirabella (16-15) took a no hitter in the fifth inning and settled for her ninth shutout.
 
A five-run outburst in the top of the first set the tone of the game. Wallace put the Lady Eagles on the board with her third home run of the season, a three-run blast over the fence in right-center field. Junior Aleyah Evans and Mirabella followed with consecutive doubles. Evans then scored on an RBI-groundball by junior Claire Eosso while Mirabella trotted home for the final run of the outburst on a single by freshman Jessica Powell.
 
NCCU sent 10 batters to the plate in the opening frame and racked up its five runs on five hits, a walk and one Hornets error against junior starting pitcher Alexis Goldsby (5-14). Sophomore Hannah Shields took over with one out in the top of the first and tossed 6 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for DSU.
 
A diving catch by Powell in left field kept Mirabella's no-hit bid in tact after four innings, but sophomore Jasmine Melgoza led off the bottom of the fifth with a clean single to left to end that chance. DSU's only other hit was a junior Sabrina Quarles two-out double in the sixth. Mirabella fanned at least one batter with a runner in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings to eliminate the Hornets best scoring opportunities.
 
Freshman Jacobia Johnson produced three of NCCU's 11 hits and drew a walk for a perfect performance at the plate. Eight total Lady Eagles hit safely. Powell added two singles as the only other maroon and gray player with multiple hits.