Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box

Hampton, Va. – Playing their first game since the death of their coach three days ago, the Hampton University softball team split a doubleheader with Norfolk State on Senior Day for the Lady Pirates as Maggie Wolfe and Jennifer Gonzales played in their final home game. The Lady Pirates captured game one 5-3 and Norfolk State won the nightcap 4-1. Hampton is off until Friday, when as the No. 1 seed they will take on the eighth seed in the MEAC Softball Tournament.

Following an emotional pre-game ceremony, the Lady Pirates jumped out to an early lead with the use of the long ball. In the bottom of the second Amanda Black singled and Ashley Weissenbach reached base when Norfolk Sate first baseman Micki Rodriguez mishandled a throw. With runners in scoring position Hampton’s Tesara Liggins blasted a home run to center, giving the Lady Pirates a 3-0 lead.

Norfolk State got on the board with two runs in the top half of the fourth, one coming on an RBI double to right field by Jennifer Morrison and another on a wild pitch.

With the score knotted at 3-3 the Lady Pirates sealed the victory with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Weissenbach recorded the victory for the Lady Pirates after pitching 1 ½ innings and allowing zero runs.

Game two saw each team post a run in its first at bat, before Norfolk State scored what proved to be the winning runs in the third with a two-run tape-measure home run by catcher Marlene Harding.

The Spartans added an additional run in the seventh on an RBI single by Hitomi Green and that three-run deficit was too much for the Lady Pirates to overcome in their final at bat.

Rodriguez pitched a complete game for the Spartans, allowing just four hits by the Lady Pirates and striking out two. Black was the losing pitcher of record for Hampton.