NORFOLK, Va. – Morgan State went ahead for good with two runs in the fifth as the Bears won the third game of this weekend's series by a 6-4 score on Sunday afternoon at the NSU Softball Field.
A pair of errors on NSU in the fifth allowed both runs to score for the Bears, who won all three games in the MEAC series after the teams played twice on Friday. Giselle Alvarez hit 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI for MSU on Sunday, falling a single short of a cycle.
The Bears improved to 7-2 in the MEAC and 16-13 overall. NSU had three players with two hits in the game but still fell to 15-23 overall and 5-7 in the league.
Stephanie Rundlett (7-6) earned the win, improving to 7-6 overall after striking out six and allowing four hits in 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The Spartans did strike first. Juniors
Shelby DesChamps and
Kylee Lopez walked in the first, and fellow classmate
Hunter Halford smacked one back to the pitcher. DesChamps was able to score from second after the ball deflected toward the spot vacated by the second baseman who went to cover the bag. Lopez, who made her way to third on the play and then came home on a sac fly down the right field line off the bat of senior
Jaylene Pryor.
Alvarez tied it up with a two-run homer in the top of the third, and in the fourth, Damali Young's RBI single made it a 3-2 ballgame. The Spartans immediately answered. Freshman
Kayla Porter doubled to the wall in center field, and DesChamps and freshman
Tuli Iosefa both singled to tie the game up. Lopez then followed with a single to right center for a 4-3 lead.
It was short lived, however. Alvarez doubled and scored on a drop fly by the Spartans in the fifth. Pinch runner Mekeil Turner then scored when the Spartans dropped a line drive ball that should have been the third out of the inning. Alvarez later tripled in the seventh and scored an insurance run for MSU.
DesChamps, Lopez and Pryor each had two hits for the Spartans. DesChamps also scored two of the team's four runs.
Freshman
Skylar Swain (6-6) suffered the loss after allowing two hits and two unearned runs in three relief innings.
The Spartans will return to the road next weekend when they play at Howard for a three-game series.