SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State University scored a dozen late runs to pull away to a pair of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victories over visiting North Carolina Central University on sunny Friday afternoon at the Lady Tigers Softball Field.
SSU (11-15 Overall, 4-1 MEAC) was in a pair of barn burners but scored 12 total runs after the fourth inning to win 10-2 (5 innings) and 7-3. NCCU (14-16, 0-2) has lost four consecutive games for a second time this season and will try and end the losing streak at four again when the two programs play the series finale on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Three Lady Tigers went deep to lead Savannah State to the eight-run rule victory in the opener. Junior Torrian Wright hit a solo shot in the third for her league-leading 13th homer of the season. A three-run blast by senior Amber Hallman and a two-run shot by junior Molly Lillis highlighted a seven-run fifth for the hosts.
SSU freshman Ashley Eichenlaub held the Lady Eagles to just two hits in posting the complete-game victory. Eichenlaub (8-8) did not allow a hit for the first three innings and only issued one walk.
NCCU scored its two runs in the fourth with junior
Kayleigh Brueck and senior
Emerie Germ leading off with consecutive singles. Brueck broke up Eichenlaub's no-hit bid with a clean shot to center field and then advanced on Germ's single to right. A Lady Tiger error allowed Brueck to score. Sophomore
Brianna Hampton then plated Germ with a sacrifice fly that temporarily pulled the Lady Eagles to within one run at 3-2.
Savannah State held a 10-2 hit advantage including five for extra bases.
The second game started off as a pitcher's duel between NCCU junior
London Booker and SSU sophomore Amanda Hallman as the two teams were tied 2-2 in the middle of the fifth until the Lady Tigers scratched out five more late runs including a pair in the fifth and three more in the sixth.
Savannah State grabbed the initial lead with two runs in the third but a two-run single by Brueck knotted the score in the top half of the fifth. Juniors
De'Onna Smith and
Angelique Perricelli drew a pair of walk to set up the game-tying single that Brueck poked over first base and just inside the right field foul line.
The Lady Tigers regained a two-run lead, 4-2, in the top of the fifth but the Lady Eagles had another chance of tying the game up putting a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs in the top of the sixth. Sophomore
Dominique Wilson started the frame with a walk and moved to third on a double by junior
Casey Hargett. However, Hallman settled down and wiggled her way out of the jam with three consecutive strikeouts.
SSU tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth including Wright's second two-run single of the contest.
NCCU nearly had as many hits as the Lady Tigers but the Lady Eagles stranded seven base runners including four in scoring position. Junior
Markell Wylie led NCCU with two hits. Brueck and Germ added a hit apiece in the nightcap for a pair of hits on the day.