CARY, N.C. — Sophomore Diamond Porter looped a single to left field that plated the walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning of Sunday's nightcap as the North Carolina Central University softball team salvaged a non-conference doubleheader split against visiting East Tennessee State University.
 
The Buccaneers won the first game, 8-0, at Thomas Brooks Park before the Eagles rallied to take the finale, 8-7. ETSU finished the day at 10-6 overall while NCCU picked up its first win to move to 1-16 on the season.
 
NC Central will next begin Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play with a four-game series at Florida A&M University on Saturday-Sunday, March 27-28.
 
GAME ONE: East Tennessee State 8, NC Central 0 (6 Inn.)
 
ETSU senior Kelly Schmidt held the Eagles to just two hits on the way to recording the shutout. Schmidt (6-2) fanned seven NCCU batters over her six innings of work.
 
Senior catcher Kylie Toler paced the victors offensively with three RBI, including a go-ahead, RBI groundout in the first and a two-run double down the left field line in the third. A pair of sacrifice flies by freshman Lilly Holston helped the Bucs finish off the run-rule victory in six innings.
 
The Eagles had a couple of chances to score with runners in scoring position, including a double by Joirea Dumas in the first and a single and stolen base by freshman Imara Harrell in the third. However, a couple of strikeouts by Schmidt helped ESTU get out of jams and preserve the shutout.
 
GAME TWO: NC Central 8, East Tennessee State 7
 
NCCU entered the bottom of the seventh trailing by one run, but four hits in its first five batters rallied the Eagles to the victory. Dumas and junior Madison Mifsud started the comeback with consecutive singles. Senior K'Lea Parks drove in Dumas on a bloop double to right field that just went off the tip of a racing second baseman's outstretched glove. Senior Nadia Blevins pinch ran for Mifsud on third base and she scored three pitches later after Porter poked her clean single to left field on a tough 0-2 count.
 
Dumas had a couple of hits and a walk in the finale to reach base four times on the day and extend her hit streak to six games. Mifsud tallied a trio of singles to account for three of NCCU's 11 hits. Parks and Porter each finished with two base knocks.
 
Parks game-tying RBI was the third run she manufactured in the game as a two-run single in the third helped the Eagles jump out to a 4-0 lead. That four-run outburst also included an RBI-single by Mifsud and a sac fly by senior Olivia Daniel.
 
ETSU cut the deficit in half with two runs in the top of the fourth, but NCCU scored a pair of runs in the home half of the frame to regain a four-run advantage that included a double steal home by Harrell and a run-producing double by Dumas.
 
NCCU freshman starter Jaylah Barr was eligible for her first collegiate win after four innings of play, but a pair of walks to begin the fifth ended her day. The Buccaneers then drew a third straight walk to load the bases before sophomore Lili Bowen tied the game with a grand slam to left field.
 
Holston then gave ETSU its only lead of the contest, 7-6, with her third RBI of the day on a single to center in the sixth to setup the dramatic rally by the Eagles.
 
Senior reliever Caroline Campbell (1-2) was credited with the win, despite blowing a save opportunity she first entered the game to preserve. She did settle down with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, including her third strikeout in three innings to give NCCU its chance to comeback.
 
The eight runs and 11 hits by the maroon and gray are both season-best game marks.