NORFOLK, Va. – Radford spoiled the home opener for the Norfolk State softball team on Thursday afternoon, as the Highlanders benefited from three unearned runs to win 5-3 over the Spartans at the NSU Softball Field.
The game was called after five innings due to rain, and game 2 was cancelled as a result.
The Highlanders (4-1) compiled just five hits, but miscues by the Spartans were enough to come away with the victory. NSU fell to 2-2 despite a seven-hit outing.
Freshman catcher
Loren Hudson hit a two-run double to the right-center field gap in the second inning for NSU's only lead of the game. She drove in sophomores
Brooke Bond and
Denisha Megginson, who had singled and doubled, respectively, to put runners in scoring position. Megginson was the only player from either side with two hits in the game.
The Highlanders scored in the top half of the inning when a throwing error allowed Sofia Tapia to score from third. They added another two runs in the third, both unearned. Riley Oakes reached on an error and later scored on what should have been the third out of the inning. A hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded made it 3-2.
Radford made it 5-2 in the fifth with two more runs on an RBI single and a sac fly.
The Spartans did get a run back in the bottom of the inning. Freshman
Raven Blair dropped one into shallow left for a hit, and one out later freshman
Imani Moore lined a double down the left field line.
Jessie Marvin got the last two outs of the inning, and the game was called before the start of the sixth. Marvin improved to 2-1 after allowing the three earned runs with four strikeouts.
Kirsten Greene suffered the loss for NSU after a relief appearance that started in the first. She allowed all five runs, two earned, with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.
NSU is slated to host games on its home as part of the Pirate Classic from Friday through Sunday. With weather expected to turn bad on Thursday evening, a decision on Friday's games that start at noon will be made early Friday morning.
