ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Senior pitcher Courtney Mirabella picked up two wins and hurled a no hitter in leading the North Carolina Central University softball team to a 7-0 and 4-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division doubleheader sweep of host South Carolina State University Saturday afternoon.
 
Mirabella improved to 12-14 on the season and her first no hitter since transferring to NCCU this season was her seventh shutout of the year. Mirabella also went 3-6 from the plate and drove in the go-ahead run in the second contest with a late single in the sixth.
 
Junior Claire Eosso matched Mirabella from the batter's box with three hits.
 
NCCU (13-24 Overall, 4-7 MEAC) moved into a tie for fourth place in the Southern Division with the two wins with North Carolina A&T State University as the Aggies lost two games at Savannah State University on Saturday. The top four teams in the division advance to the MEAC Tournament in May.
 
Savannah State (1-30, 1-10) will host the Lady Eagles in the series finale on Sunday at Noon.
 
GAME ONE: NC Central 7, SC State 0
 
Mirabella tossed the no hitter at NCCU with the aid of nine strikeouts. She only needed 80 pitches to complete her masterpiece by inducing 10 fly outs, including seven infield popups.
 
Senior Jada Richardson drew a walk to start the game as a perfect game was never in consideration. Mirabella, who leads the MEAC and entered the weekend ranked third nationally in total strikeouts, fanned the next three batters to set the tone for the rest of the contest.
 
SCSU's best chance at a hit came on a one-out fly ball to left field by sophomore pitcher Jada Lake. However, freshman Jessica Powell was able to reach up on the hard hit ball and make the catch while running back towards the fence.
 
A fielding error by the Lady Bulldogs led to NCCU's first two runs in the top of the second. Eosso came up with the big two RBI single to plate both runs.
 
The contest remained a close 2-0 score until the Lady Eagles exploded for four runs in the sixth. A freshman Kelsey Locklear bases-loaded walk was the only RBI in the rally as NCCU also scored on a wild pitch, a double steal and an error. A third SCSU error led to a fourth unearned run for the visitors to cap the scoring in the seventh.
 
The Lady Eagles accumulated eight hits with Mirabella and Eosso each hitting safely twice. Mirabella started the seventh with a double – NCCU's lone extra-base hit – which led to the final tally.
 
GAME TWO: NC Central 4, SC State 2
 
Mirabella fanned nine more Lady Bulldogs in the nightcap, but the hosts were able to get six hits off her to avoid being shut out again.
 
The tilt started as a pitcher's duel between Mirabella and sophomore Ragin Prunty until An error allowed SCSU to take the initial lead in the fourth. NCCU quickly tied it in the top of the fifth. Powell legged out a standup triple with a base knock down the left field line. She scored the equalizer on a single by freshman Aiyana Campbell.
 
Mirabella helped her own cause by driving in the go-ahead run an inning later with a sharp single past the pitcher and into the outfield. Junior Aleyah Evans drew a leadoff single and scored on the Mirabella poke.
 
Back-to-back RBI singles off the bats of sophomore Ava Dolan and Evans added a couple insurance runs for the Lady Eagles in the seventh.
 
SCSU scratched out is lone earned run of the day in its final at bat on a double by sophomore Dezirae Rhodes. Freshman Shana Abram had two of the hosts six hits.
 
NCCU totaled eight hits again with Campbell pacing the lineup with two singles.