CARY, N.C. — Junior third baseman Dalika Wallace hit a grand slam and finished with six RBI while sophomore pitcher Kiara Hurley took a perfect game into the fifth inning as host North Carolina Central University coasted to a 16-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division victory over South Carolina State University on Friday afternoon at Thomas Brooks Park.
 
The Lady Eagles scored a season-high 16 runs on 13 hits with Wallace's grand slam in the fourth inning being the only extra base hit.
 
Wallace reached base in all four of her plate appearances. She was hit by a pitch in the first and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Aleyah Evans. Wallace then drew a bases-loaded walk in the second and eventually scored again on a SCSU error. Her torrid play also included an RBI-single in the third before Wallace capped the day with her team-high fifth home run that went over the left field fence to clear the loaded bases in the fourth.
 
Wallace, a resident of Newport News, Virginia, has reached base in 16 straight games and continues to safely reach base in over half of her plate appearances on the season (.558 on-base percentage).
 
Hurley flirted with a perfect game, retiring the first 12 Lady Bulldogs she faced over the first four innings. Her dominate performance included a season-high eight strikeouts, including five of the first six batters she faced. Hurley's (9-10) bid at perfection was ended on a clean single to right field by SCSU freshman Daisha Simon to begin the top of the fifth. Hurley struck out the next two South Carolina State batters before freshman Ja'Nautica Cohen doubled to the left field gap to score Simon, which ended the shutout attempt with just one out left needed in the run-rule shortened contest.
 
Eight different maroon and gray players recorded hits on the day.
 
Sophomore Nadia Blevins led the way going 3-for-3 with a walk. Blevins scored all four times. Classmate Olivia Daniel also notched three hits as she extended a modest five-game hit streak. Daniel drove in three runs, including a pair of Lady Eagles with her first single in the first. Evans matched Daniel by knocking in three runs, featuring a two-run single in the second. Junior Tamiera Sanchez also had a two-run single, with hers coming in a seven-run fourth.
 
The Lady Eagles swiped seven bases, including two thefts apiece by sophomore Jacobia Johnson and freshman Madison Mifsud.
 
NC Central (10-18 Overall, 1-3 MEAC) will conclude its three-game league series against South Carolina St. (0-25, 0-4) with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.