Courtesy of NSU Athletic Communications
HAMPTON, Va. – Freshman Rylie Gilbreath and junior Loren Hudson both hit home runs in the Norfolk State softball team's two games on Saturday as part of the HU Classic to help the Spartans to a pair of wins on the Hampton Softball Field.
NSU (5-2) opened with a 10-1 run-rule win over St. Bonaventure in five innings and followed it up with a 8-3 win over Central Connecticut State in the final game of the day. With the win over SBU in game one, the Spartans now have a 2-1 all-time record against the Bonnies. The win over the Blue Devils in game two marked the first win over CCSU in team history, dating back to the first matchup in the 2008 season.
Against the Bonnies, NSU got things off to a quick start in the top of the first. Senior Lily Potter led off reaching first on a fielding error before junior Imani Moore doubled to left center, scoring Potter from first. Senior Gabby Vaughan drew a full count walk before redshirt senior Tuli Iosefa loaded the bases with a single to the shortstop.
Hudson picked up a pair of RBIs with a hit to center field that score both Moore and Vaughan. Iosefa would add to the Spartans run total off a wild pitch with freshman Kenna Higa scored Hudson to give NSU the 5-0 lead after the top of the first.
SBU responded with a run in the bottom of the first to pull within four, but that was the closet the team from New York would get. After batting the lineup in the first inning Potter led off for the second-straight inning. With one out Moore hit her first triple of the season that reached the left field fence on a 1-2 count. Vaughan hit her way into a doubled next to right center that scored Moore to extend the Spartan lead.
The Bonnies went three up, three down in the second to keep the lead at 6-1. Junior Morgan Johnson led off the third with one of her three hits in the game with a double to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Redshirt sophomore Yrral Davis hit into a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Davis to again add to the NSU lead, 7-1.
The Spartans scored for the fourth straight inning in the fourth when Potter reached on an error and Moore doubled to left field, nearly a repeat of the top of first. The Bonnies were able to get three outs without allowing anymore Spartan runs to keep the game at 8-1 heading into the fifth inning.
Johnson picked up her third hit of the game up the middle and advanced on the next pitch which was out of the reach of the catcher. A passed ball later and Johnson advanced to third before sophomore Gabby Gosman sped around to third base before the ball could even make it to the infield, scoring Johnson.
Freshman Lauren Sheehan grounded out to third base, but Gosman was pushed across home plate for another NSU run, extending the lead to 10-1. Junior pitcher Alexis Robinson had SBU go three up, three down in the fifth. With the Spartans lead at nine, the game ended with on the run-rule, which says if a team is ahead by eight or more after five complete innings, the game ends.
Robinson got the win from inside the circle pitching all five innings, striking out four and allowing just one run, unearned.
In the second game of the day, after CCSU scored a pair of runs on two hits in the top of the first the Spartans responded by scoring three in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead. NSU got things started with two outs when Vaughan hit a single through the middle of the field. A dropped popup in foul territory should have ended the inning, but after Vaughan reached third on a wild pitch Iosefa hit her own single in the middle and scoring the Spartan first baseman from third.
A walk, passed ball, and wild pitch later put Spartans at the corners. Davis found the pitch she liked and hit a single through the right side of the field, scoring Iosefa and tying the game at 2-2. When the Blue Devils attempted to catch Davis stealing second Johnson was able to use her speed and put the Spartans in the lead 3-2, coming home from third.
CCSU would tie the game in the top of the second after a leadoff triple before both teams settled down and played a defensive battle until Gilbreath smacked a shot 10 feet above the right field fence in the bottom fourth. Freshman Victoria Ruiz hit a hard ball up the middle for a single as it grazed off the shortstops diving glove, allowing her to reach second. Freshman Elizabeth Ritchie would come in and pinch hit for Potter and proceeded trade places with Ruiz to add another run for the Spartans.
After CCSU was retired in order in the sixth, NSU decided to add some insurance runs in bottom half of the frame. Gilbreath opened up with a full count walk followed by Ruiz getting a called strike three. Potter then hit a single on a 2-2 count to left field to put Gilbreath in scoring position. Then what turned out to be a perfect substitution, Hudson pinch hit for Imani Moore and slammed a three-run home run over the left field fence, nearly over the scoreboard, on the first pitch she saw to add three runs to the Spartan total.
Despite the Blue Devils getting a hit in the seventh, junior Cam Andersen came in with two outs and struck out the CCSU batter to finish the game. Senior Joana Vallejo earned the win in the circle pitching 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts and no earned runs.
NSU returns for its final two games of the HU Classic in Hampton on Sunday, February 20. Once against the Spartans face off against SBU at 9 am followed by a 1 pm showdown with CCSU.