ELON, N.C. — Sophomore centerfielder Nadia Blevins collected a pair of hits while driving in a run and scoring once to pace the North Carolina Central University softball team in a 4-3 non-conference loss to Hampton University on day one of the Elon University Softball February Classic Friday evening.
 
The Lady Eagles led 2-1 before the Pirates rallied with the next three runs. NCCU plated a run in the bottom of the seventh to pull within one, but freshman pitcher Emily Workman struck out the final two batters of the game with the game-tying runner on base to end the contest in favor of the designated visitors.
 
Workman (1-0) fanned eight batters in her first collegiate start to earn the win. She limited the Lady Eagles to just four hits as Hampton leveled its record at 1-1.
 
Blevins had half of NCCU's hits, including an RBI-infield single in the fourth that tied the score at 1-1. Freshman shortstop Francheska Steins followed with a sacrifice fly to briefly put the maroon and gray ahead.
 
The Pirates quickly regained the lead with two runs in the top of the fifth with the aid of an NCCU error. A third error by the Lady Eagles in the seventh assisted in Hampton scoring an insurance run in the seventh that proved important as the game-winning run.
 
Trailing 4-2, Blevins started NCCU's comeback attempt with a leadoff single in the Lady Eagles' last inning and scored on the big throwing error by the Pirates. A one-out single by sophomore Jessica Powell put the potential tying run on base for the Lady Eagles, but Workman ended the late threat with two straight K's.
 
Sophomore pitcher Kiara Hurley held the Pirates to just two hits in her seven complete innings of work, but she was tagged with the loss because of a couple unearned runs.  
 
Hampton took the initial lead on a solo home run by junior Brianna Anderson with two outs in the first innings. Hurley only issued one more hit the rest of the contest.
 
NC Central (1-4) next plays Northern Kentucky University in the Elon Classic on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.