ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Norfolk State wrapped up play at the MEAC Round-Up with a 4-2 win over North Carolina Central on Sunday morning in softball action at Orangeburg Recreation Park.
 
The Spartans earned a much-needed win in their quest at advance to the MEAC Tournament. Senior Tuli Iosefa hit a two-run home run early in the game, and they added two more runs in the latter stages to improve to 9-6 in the league. NSU currently sits a game ahead of Delaware State (8-7) for second in the MEAC Northern Division.
 
NSU ran its overall record to 16-13 after winning its second in a row and its eighth in the last nine games. The pitching duo of sophomores Cam Andersen and Kirsten Greene limited the Eagles (5-27, 3-5 MEAC) to just five hits and one earned run on Sunday to close out the round-up, which featured teams from the North facing off against teams from the South.
 
Iosefa's two-run home run in the first, her fifth of the year, scored senior Jazzmaine Hammond, who had singled with one out. Hammond also singled in a run in the fifth with the Spartans ahead 2-1. An error on the Eagles later in the inning scored another run for a 4-1 NSU advantage.
 
Two errors on the Spartans in the seventh led to an unearned for the Eagles to make it a two-run game. But Greene earned her second save of the season after getting the third out. She pitched 2.1 innings of relief and allowed just one hit with two strikeouts.
 
Andersen (6-3) pitched 4.2 innings and gave up four hits and one earned run for the win. She struck out six while working out of several jams due to five walks allowed. The Eagles stranded 10 runners for the game.
 
Kiara Hurley (2-16) took the loss after allowing four hits in six innings and four runs, three earned.
 
NSU will close out conference play next weekend at Delaware State. The Spartans need to win two of those four games in order to qualify for the MEAC Tournament in May. Only the top two teams from each division will advance to the tournament this year.