Ormond Beach, Fla. (May 10, 2013) --- The Delaware State University softball team was two wins away from an appearance in the MEAC Tournament championship round, but ran out of gas to end its season.
The Hornets were eliminated from the tournament with a 5-1 loss to Norfolk State at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex today. Earlier today, the Hornets stayed alive in the tournament with a 9-5 victory over Bethune-Cookman to eliminate the defending champion Wildcats from the tourney.
In the loss to Norfolk State, the Hornets scored first with a run in the second inning. Jenn Fischbach started the second inning rally with a two-out single. Jordan Stamps followed with a single to put DSU runners on first and second. The next batter, Miranda Pedersen, then singled. Fischbach came around to score on a Norfolk State throwing error on the Pedersen hit to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
Norfolk State responded with five runs after two outs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-1 lead. The Spartans were aided by a Delaware State error, resulting in three unearned runs in the inning.
NSU junior pitcher Jamie Schulle held the Hornets a bay the rest of the way.
In the win over Bethune-Cookman, Jess Madrid smacked a three-run homer in the sixth to give the Hornets the lead for good in a 9-5 come-from-behind win in an elimination game today.
The third-seeded Hornets, now 2-1 in the tournament, will attempt to stay alive in the tournament with another elimination game at 3:00 p.m. today.
Delaware State trailed 3-0 before starting their comeback in the fifth inning. Miranda Pedersen was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Chloe Oro and Nicole Gazzolla followed with singles to load the bases with none out. The next batter, Madrid, grounded out to short; but Pedersen scored on the play to cut Bethune-Cookman's lead to 3-1. Rochelle Sablay followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Oro to pull to within 3-2. Ashley Bennett then smacked a two-run homer to give DSU a 4-3 lead. Bennett has homered in each of the last two games.
Bethune-Cookman scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.
Delaware State answered in its next at bat. Oro and Gazzolla were on base when Madrid blasted a home run to give the Hornets a 7-4 lead in the sixth inning.
Bethune-Cookman scored a run in the last of the sixth to cut DSU's lead to 7-5.
The Hornets added two insurance runs in the seventh to close out the scoring.
Delaware State posted a 2-2 record in the tournament to end the season with a 22-35 overall mark.
