ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – The Hampton University softball team will take on defending MEAC champion Bethune-Cookman in the semifinal round of the 2012 MEAC Championships on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

The Lady Pirates (25-31), the No. 4 seed from the Northern Division, advanced with a pair of wins on Thursday, beating the Southern Division No. 1 seed Savannah State 5-4 in eight innings in the opening round, before upending South No. 3 seed Florida A&M 15-6 in the quarterfinals.

Hampton has won five of its last seven games.

Sophomore Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.), who is on a seven-game hitting streak, is 5-for-7 in the tournament so far with six RBIs and four runs scored. She hit a three-run home run, her third of the season, on Thursday against Florida A&M.

Junior Shine Huwe (Green Bay, Wisc.) has hit two home runs so far in the tournament – one each against Savannah State and Florida A&M – and has nine for the season, tied for the fifth-most home runs in a single season with Maggie Wolfe (2007) and Brittany Davis (2007).

Senior Rebecca Magett (Grand Rapids, Mich.) went 3-for-3 on Thursday against Florida A&M, driving in four runs.

Freshman Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) has thrown 5.1 innings so far, recording 11 strikeouts and giving up just seven hits. Senior Travonna Byrd (Newport News, Va.) has only given up five hits in 7.2 innings of work so far in the tournament.

Bethune-Cookman (28-29), the No. 2 seed from the Southern Division, advanced with a pair of wins on Thursday over Norfolk State (3-2) and North Carolina A&T (6-1). The Lady Wildcats, who had five players named All-MEAC, ended the regular season with four straight losses.

The Lady Pirates are 5-16 all-time against Bethune-Cookman. The two teams last met in the opening round of the 2009 MEAC Championships, which the Lady Wildcats won 3-0.

Hampton's last win over Bethune-Cookman came on April 15, 2007, when the Lady Pirates took a 7-0 win in the MEAC Round-Up in Lexington, S.C. The Lady Wildcats have won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams.

The winner of Friday's semifinal will advance to the championship round on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Live stats will be available for Friday's semifinal are available here.

For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.