CLINTON, S.C. – The Norfolk State softball team finished its season-opening weekend with a pair of wins on Sunday afternoon in the Blue Hose Invitational hosted by Presbyterian.
 
NSU raced out to a six-run lead and held on to top Robert Morris 6-3 to start the day. The Spartans then topped South Carolina State by a 4-1 margin in an early afternoon contest at the PC Softball Complex. The wins improved NSU's record to 2-1 on the season.
 
The Spartans finished their first tournament of the season strong after having two of their three games on Saturday cancelled due to weather.
 
In a morning contest against Robert Morris, the Spartans broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the second. A walk and a single started the inning, but then with two outs a passed ball and two errors made it 2-0. Junior Jazzmaine Hammond followed with an RBI single, and senior Shelby DesChamps hit a two-run single into left for a five-run advantage.
 
Hammond doubled with one out in the fourth and went to third on an error on the play. DesChamps' RBI groundout made it 6-0.
 
After leaving the bases loaded in the third, RMU (2-2) cut into the lead with a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run homer in the seventh for the final margin.
 
Junior Skylar Swain (1-1) got the win after allowing four hits and one run in 5.1 innings of work. Hammond and sophomore Denisha Megginson each had two hits, and DesChamps drove in three runs.
 
South Carolina State (0-2) held the early lead in their game against the Spartans after three straight hits to start the bottom of the second put the Bulldogs up 1-0. But it was short-lived, as NSU scored all four of its runs in the top of the third. Hammond singled and freshman Imani Moore walked before junior Tuli Iosefa hit NSU's first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-center.
 
The Spartans made it 4-1 on junior Jade Dixon's RBI double later in the inning.
 
Sophomore Lily Potter (1-0), meanwhile, allowed four hits and one earned run with four strikeouts in six innings of work.
 
Dixon had a pair of hits as well.
 
NSU will have next weekend off before hosting Radford for a doubleheader on Feb. 20.