NORFOLK, Va. — Senior pitcher Kiara Hurley tossed her second complete-game victory of the day to help lead the North Carolina Central University softball team into the championship game of the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Softball Championship with a 5-2 victory over host Norfolk State University Friday evening.
 
NC Central will be advancing to the championship game for the first time since the program joined the MEAC in 2011-12. The Eagles will play Northern Division champion Morgan State University in the finals on Saturday beginning at noon. NCCU will need to beat the Bears twice on Saturday to claim its first league title because MSU narrowly defeating the Eagles, 4-3, in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday.
 
Hurley (9-17) scattered nine hits over her seven innings of work, but she was able to strand five Spartans on base and the maroon and gray defense turned a pair of double plays to preserve the triumph, including a lineout double play to end the game. The southpaw had one strikeout and she did not issue a walk.
 
NCCU (13-30 Overall) has won eight of its last 10 games with Hurley recording seven wins and a save during that stretch.  
 
Senior first baseman Joirea Dumas provided NCCU with a quick 1-nil edge with a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the first inning. The right-handed power hitter went opposite way with her homer, blasting it over the right-center field fence.
 
The Eagles were then held without a hit for the next three innings before senior K'Lea Parks curled a triple down the right field line to begin the fifth. Parks then tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Tamiera Sanchez to double up the NCCU lead to 2-0.
 
However, senior Tuli Iosefa tied the game with a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to account for both of NSU's runs. Iosefa launched the equalizer over the scoreboard beyond the left-field fence.
 
Dumas and Iosefa remain tied for the home run lead in the MEAC, as they each hit their eight home run of the season in the elimination game.
 
NCCU used a two-out rally to quickly retake the lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, which featured six consecutive Eagles reaching base safely. Freshman Jaylah Barr started the rally with a hard single past the pitcher and into center field. She then scored the go-ahead run from first on a deep double by senior Olivia Daniel, who scored moments later on a seeing-eyed single by Parks. After senior pinch hitter Kaitlyn Macon and freshman Imara Harrell drew a pair of walks to load up the bases, Sanchez knocked a single through the left side of the infield to score Parks for the final NCCU run.
 
Parks finished with two hits and two runs scored while Sanchez supplied two RBI.
 
Norfolk State (20-19) outhit the Eagles, 9-7, and finished its season with a winning record. Iosefa had two hits for the Spartans.