(Washington, D.C.) – Sunday afternoon, the Delaware State softball team (23-16, 16-2 MEAC) wrapped up its 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) campaign with a convincing 10-1 six-inning road victory to secure its fifth consecutive series sweep over the Howard Bison (7-32, 3-12 MEAC).
With this win, DSU not only extended its season-long winning streak to nine games, but its 12-game MEAC winning streak resulted in its highest conference victory total (16) since going 20-3 in 2006. The Hornets also all but wrapped up their third straight MEAC North division crown with a three-game lead over Hampton (18-24, 10-5 MEAC) and Norfolk State (15-20, 9-5 MEAC) with one more weekend to play.
Sunday's contest for the Hornets was sparked by infielder Jordan Stamps (5) connecting for her third home run of the series, this time to put DSU up by two in the second frame for the game's first runs.
The third inning, meanwhile, featured DSU scoring four runs on four hits. Outfielder Nkili Matthews (walk) scored the first run from second, thanks to an error by infielder Milan Poindexter at first, whereas catcher Sandy Hawthorne (single), designated player Rochelle Sablay (single) and infielder Haley Jones (double) drove in a run each.
To put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, Oro drove in Matthews (hit-by-pitch) with a double to center field, while Hawthorne (5) – the MEAC's leader in RBI (46) - followed that up with a three-run bomb for her team-high third hit of the day.
For DSU starting pitcher Nicole Brock (10-5), she picked up her second victory of the series, this time allowing five hits, a walk and fanning three HU batters. Brock nearly registered her second shutout win of the season if not for HU's Al'Asia Davis driving in infielder Tiyanna Stewart (triple) with a single in the sixth. Stewart's score was lone earned run given up by DSU's pitching staff all series.
At game's end, DSU's 10-run performance was the 12th time this season it has scored in double figures. Totaling nine hits as a team, the MEAC's leader in that department, outfielder Nicole Gazzola (68), went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Coming up, the Columbia Blue & Red will return to the Hornets' Nest for the final time of 2016 on May 3 for a doubleheader (2:30 p.m. | 4:30 p.m.) against La Salle.
Series Stingers
DSU batted .356 as a team throughout the weekend, led by seniors
Nicole Gazzola (.636),
Sandy Hawthorne (.583) and
Jordan Stamps (.444)… Gazzola and Hawthorne both tallied a team-high seven hits, whereas Hawthorne drove in nine RBI, in addition to a double, a triple and a homer… Stamps and Hawthorne also registered a team-high 13 total bases… Gazzola and Stamps both scored a team-high five runs… DSU tallied 27 RBI, headlined by smashing six home runs… Junior
Nicole Brock went 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA, 10 strikeouts and one earned run allowed… Brock and junior
Tara Tursellino (12-7) gave up a combined four extra base hits, two walks and one earned run… The Hornets have now won 15 in a row against the Bison, with their last loss occurring on April 3, 2011 by way of a 6-1 road defeat… DSU is now 49-15 all-time against Howard.
