NORFOLK, Va. (March 26, 2022)-The Morgan State softball team returned to Norfolk State and the NSU Softball Field for the first time since winning the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) softball tournament championship.
 
The defending MEAC champions would earn a split on Saturday afternoon, dropping the opener to the host Spartans, 6-5, before taking the nightcap, 7-6 in eight innings.
 
Morgan State moved to 12-10, 4-1 MEAC, while Norfolk State fell to 16-14, 3-2 MEAC). The two teams will complete their three-game series on Sunday, at 1 p.m.
 
The opening game was one full of errors, as the two combined for 11 errors, six committed by the visitors.
 
The Spartans struck first in the bottom half of the first when Tuli Iosefa reached on an infield error by Morgan State, scoring Lily Potter.
 
Morgan State tied it at 1-1 in the second on an error by Norfolk State when Asia Thomas stole third and then scored on the error.
 
Norfolk State broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the third when Alison Guckin singled to left field and advanced to third on a fielding error by Morgan State, which allowed Potter to score from first. Iosefa singled through the right side to score Guckin and give the Spartans a 3-1 lead.
 
Morgan got a run back in the fifth inning when Aliya Ewell singled through the right side, scoring Mia Ewell to cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
The Lady Bears evened the score in the seventh when Aliya Ewell scored on an error by Norfolk State. Morgan State was not done, as the guests added two more runs in the top of the seventh when Irene Martin reached on a throwing error, which scored Thomas and Tayven Rousseau, giving the guests a 5-3 advantage.
 
The lead would be shortlived, as the Spartans responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 6-5 victory. Guckin reached on a error and advanced to second, while Gabby Gosman scored to bring the hosts within a run at 5-4. Iosefa later singled up the middle to drive in Potter and Guckin for the win.
 
Madison Nunez was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Lady Bears. Thomas scored a team-high two runs. Starting pitcher Victoria Fletcher threw a game-high four strikeouts.
 
Norfolk State's Cam Anderson (1-5) pitched 2/3 innings and had a strikeout to earn her first win of the season. Iosefa had a two hits and a game-high 4 RBIs for the Spartans.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.