LYNCHBURG, Va. – North Carolina Central University was on the brink of knocking off an Ivy League school before losing 7-6 to Princeton University and then hung tough against a red-hot Saint Francis (Pa.) University squad that won its ninth straight game 5-0 in Saturday's action of the 2015 Liberty Softball Classic.

NCCU (10-12 Overall) will have a chance to get back to .500 before heading back home when the Lady Eagles play Quinnipiac University (12 PM) and Rider University (2 PM) on the final day of the Liberty Softball Classic Sunday.

NCCU was one out from defeating Princeton but a two-run, walk-off homer by sophomore Marissa Reynolds in the bottom of the seventh lifted the Tigers to the dramatic 7-6 triumph.

Sophomore starter Dominique Wilson issued a one-out walk in the seventh but then produced her fourth strikeout to get the Lady Eagles to within one out of victory. However, Reynolds was able to nail a 2-2 delivery down the right-field line and just over the fence near the 200-foot sign on the corner outfield wall.

NCCU took an early 1-0 lead but relinquished the lead to Princeton before scoring five unanswered runs late to recapture the lead 6-5 that they held until Reynolds made her big swing to improve Princeton to 6-12 overall.

Sophomore Jenny Tracy reached on a Tiger error, moved to second on a walk drawn by senior Emerie Germ and then came around and scored the Lady Eagles first run on a seeing-eyed single off the bat of sophomore Dominique Wilson, who poked the ball through the middle of the infield just out of the reach of the diving shortstop.

Princeton sophomore starter Claire Klausner did not allow another hit after the Wilson RBI single in the first until the sixth inning. During that span the Tigers pulled ahead 5-1 with two runs in the second, another one in the third and two more in the fifth.

A pair of two-out walks proved costly to the Lady Eagles in the second as Tigers' junior Katie Miller ripped a double to deep left field that plated the tying and go-ahead runs. Princeton later turned two more Wilson walks into runs in the fifth. Wilson (4-6) issued seven total base on balls with five of them eventually scoring for Princeton.

Tracy started the Lady Eagles four-run rally in the sixth with a leadoff single. Wilson added a one-out base hit before they both scored on a ground ball hit by junior De'Onna Smith, who got credited with one RBI on the play that was booted by the shortstop. Junior Demiree Briones kept the comeback going with a single setting up a two-run double in the left field gap by sophomore Brianna Hampton.

NCCU had two runners on base but reliever Ashley LaGuardia got Princeton out of the jam with the score tied at five apiece.

However, the Lady Eagles took advantage of another opportunity against LaGuardia in the seventh with Tracy once again jumpstarting a rally with a leadoff walk. LaGuardia got the next two batters before Smith blooped a single to left-center that allowed Tracy to score from second base for the go-ahead run.

Tracy scored three times in the contest. Wilson had two of the Lady Eagles six hits while Smith and Hampton tallied two RBI.

Saint Francis (16-4 Overall) jumped out early scoring one run in the first and three more in the second to take control of NCCU's second contest of the day. The Red Flash outhit the Lady Eagles, 11-4, to secure their ninth straight triumph.

Nicole Paiotti was 4 for 4 for Saint Francis and teammate Taylor Parsons collected three hits and scored twice.

NCCU was held to four singles by Tracy, Briones, junior Markell Wylie and junior Angelique Perricelli.

Junior starter London Booker (6-6) was tagged for four runs in the first two innings but settled down and only gave up one more run over the final five innings to a potent Red Flash lineup.