CARY, N.C. — The North Carolina Central University softball team pounded out 12 hits to coast to an opening 8-0 win in Saturday's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division doubleheader against Savannah State. The Lady Eagles added 11 more hits in the nightcap, but left 10 runners on base as the Lady Tigers squeaked out a 4-3 triumph to win the series.
 
Savannah State (8-15 Overall) leveled its league record at 3-3 while NCCU (7-17) secured its first conference win and sits at 1-5.
 
Sophomore Ava Dolan led the Lady Eagles with four hits, three RBI and three runs scored. Senior Lauren Sitterson matched Dolan with four hits, freshman Jessica Powell chipped in three hits and freshman Aiyana Campbell had hits in both of her at bats. Dolan and Campbell both went yard.
 
NCCU next plays a non-conference doubleheader at Campbell University on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
 
GAME ONE: N.C. Central 8, Savannah State 0 (6 Innings)
 
The NCCU bats heated up after being held to just two hits on Friday by Savannah State senior pitcher Amanda Hallman. The Lady Eagles rattled off 12 hits in Saturday's opener, including 10 off Hallman over the first 5-plus innings.
 
Dolan set the tone of the game. She was moved up to the leadoff position and she blasted Hallman's first offering of the day to the porch in right-center field for her fifth home run of the season.
 
The contest remained another pitcher's duel between Hallman and NCCU senior Courtney Mirabella for the first 4 1/2 innings until the Lady Eagles erupted for three runs on five hits in the fifth and then four more runs on four hits in the sixth.
 
Dolan collected her second and third RBI of the day with a two-run single in the fifth. The frame was capped with an RBI-single off the bat of Sitterson.
 
Sitterson, who also ripped a double off the base of the fence in left field in the fourth, was one of five Lady Eagles to hit safely twice. Dolan, freshman Kaitlyn Macon, junior Aleyah Evans and freshman Jacobia Johnson were the other maroon and gray players with a pair of base knocks.
 
NCCU finished off the victory on a pair of two-run singles off by Macon and Evans. Dolan and Macon scored on Evans' base hit to end the walk-off win.
 
Mirabella secured her sixth win of the season and fourth shutout. After striking out 17 on Friday, Mirabella racked up eight more K's against the Lady Tigers while holding the visitors to just four hits and one walk.
 
GAME TWO: Savannah State 4, N.C. Central 1
 
The Lady Eagles were able to pound out 11 more hits in the second game, but freshman pitcher Tanisha Williams only allowed two earned runs to lift Savannah State to the narrow one-run victory.
 
Junior third baseman Cortni Jones was instrumental in staking Savannah State to a 4-nil advantage. Her single in the opening frame drove in the first run. Jones walked and scored in the third on a triple by junior Elizabeth Humes to then double-up the Lady Tigers lead. Jones followed that up with her second single to start off the sixth and she eventually scored on a hit by sophomore Shayna Byers. Savannah State tacked on an unearned run on that same play for its final tally, which proved very costly for NCCU.
 
Freshman Aiyana Campbell broke up the shutout bid by Williams by launching a one-out home run beyond left field in the sixth. Campbell has two home runs on the season.
 
The Lady Eagles continued to fight in the seventh and after a walk by Dolan and singles by Mirabella and Sitterson, Campbell drove in another run with a base hit. SSU committed an error on the play allowing NCCU's final run to score and inch the hosts within one run. However, a groundout ended the game and moved Williams to 2-1 on the season.
 
NCCU put runners on second and third with less than two outs in the third, fourth and fifth innings and were unable to score in any of those golden opportunities.
 
Dolan, Sitterson, Campbell, Powell and sophomore Dalika Wallace all had two hits as the Lady Eagles outhit the Lady Tigers, 11-7. Jones was the only SSU player with multiple hits.