ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Twenty innings of softball later on a warm Thursday in the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, Hampton advances in the elimination bracket with a pair of wins.

In the longest game in the last 25 years for Hampton, a one-out single by Sarah Kollas plated Cassidy Blackwell with the winning run as Hampton took a 4-3 win in 13 innings over Coppin State.

The nightcap saw Allie Hotetz throw a complete game as Hampton scored two in the fifth and one in the seventh to eliminate Morgan State 5-3.

GAME 1 – Hampton 4, Coppin State 3 (13)
Hampton started the day with the longest game in the last 25 years going 13 innings to eliminate Coppin State.  The previous longest game was 11 innings done three times.

In the 12^th inning, Cayla Brown smashed a solo home run to left field to put the Eagles up 3-2.  Hampton started the bottom of the inning with DaSha Hill doubling to left center and took third on an error.  She scored on a single by Alana VanDenburg.

After a stolen base, a single by Kial Watts thought to have plated the winning run but the runner never touched home plate for the third out.
Coppin put two on in the top of the 13^th but Allie Hotetz got a groundout to end the threat.

Hampton started the bottom of the 13^th with a walk to Blackwell and she went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Morgan Crawford.  Kollas took a 1-2 pitch up the middle to allow Blackwell to score the winning run.

Each team got a run in the first inning as Hampton answered Coppin's run with a triple by Taylor Warrick and she scored on a Watts single. 

Coppin took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third, but Hampton responded with a run in its half of the fourth as Blackwell tripled and pinch-runner Brianna Anderson scored on a squeeze bunt by Kollas.  No one got on the board again for eight innings.

???????Hotetz got the win throwing the last eight innings to get the win to put her record at 10-12.  VanDenburg was 3-for-6 with a RBI.   Hill, Watts and Blackwell had two hits each for Hampton.

GAME 2 – Hampton 5, Morgan State 3
Hampton got on the board first as Hill started with a triple and later scored on a single by Taylor Warrick. 

After giving up a pair in the bottom of the third, Hampton scored the equalizer in the fourth as with one out Cassidy Blackwell singled and advanced to second on a foul out and scored as Kollas singled to right center.

In the fifth Hampton pushed two more across as Lorena Alvarez started the inning with a double and Hill followed with an infield single.  Warrick doubled to right center to score Alvarez and one out later Hill scored on a sacrifice fly by Watts.

Morgan State trimmed the lead to 4-3 in their half of the sixth, but Hampton got the final run as with one out Hill beat out a bunt single and went to second on a Warrick single.  VanDenburg then scored Hill with a single for the 5-3 lead.

???????Hotetz went the distance in game two limiting Morgan State to seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.  Hill was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Warrick was 3-for-4 with a pair driven in for Hampton.

The Lady Pirates now face North Carolina Central on Friday at 3pm and with a win will face the loser of Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M at approximately 5pm at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

For more information on Hampton University softball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.