NORFOLK, Va. – Senior London Booker tossed a complete-game victory and helped her own cause with three RBI at the plate off of a double and a home run to lead the North Carolina Central University softball team to a 7-2 win in the nightcap of Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader against host Norfolk State University.
 
The Spartans opened up the afternoon with a 9-1 win in five innings as the two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member institutions split the twin bill. NCCU (4-35) snapped a 13-game skid with its victory and NCU moved to 12-18 overall at the end of the day.  
 
NCCU next visits University of Louisville for a three-game, non-conference series on Saturday and Sunday.
 
GAME ONE: Norfolk State 9, N.C. Central 1 (5 Innings)
 
After the Lady Eagles grabbed an early 1-nil advantage, the Spartans scored nine unanswered runs for the eight-run rule victory in five innings.
 
Sophomore Danyelle Noland reached on an infield single and later scored on a single dumped over second base by senior Casey Hargett. However, those two hits would be the only base knocks recorded by the visitors.
 
Freshman Hunter Halford (3-4) did not surrender another hit to the Lady Eagles in her final four innings of work and she got plenty of run support as Norfolk State finished with a 12-2 hit advantage. NCCU also committed three errors, including a miscue in the fifth that allowed the game-ending run to score.
 
Seniors Whitney Williams and Megan Dunning paced the Spartans offense with three hits apiece.
 
GAME TWO: N.C. Central 7, Norfolk State 2
 
Booker drilled a two-run double in the fourth and followed it up by launching a solo home run in the fourth to guide NCCU to the five-run triumph. Booker also fanned eight batters, which matched her season-high strikeout total, en route to the pitching win.
 
After three scoreless frames the Lady Eagles soared ahead with four runs in the fourth. Booker put the Maroon and Gray ahead for good with her deep double to the right corner of the field that plated two runners. Freshman Aleyah Evens chipped in a sacrifice fly in the surge.
 
Norfolk State got one run back in the home half of the fourth before NCCU tacked on two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh. Junior Dominique Wilson tallied a sac fly before Booker crushed her second home run of the season over the right-field fence.
 
Senior Markell Wylie drove in NCCU's final run with her second single in the seventh. Senior Jenny Tracy hit safely twice and she scored both times and Wilson also collected a pair of base knocks as the Lady Eagles doubled up Norfolk State, 10-5, in the hit column.
 
Booker (3-14) scattered just five hits to the Spartans over her seven innings of work and showed great command of the ball with her eight K's and just one walk.
 
Noland singles in the first to extend her current hit streak to seven games.