On the Road Again, Week Four, Softball Heads to Pirate Classic

Marshall Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Marshall softball team is on the road for the fourth-straight week at the Pirate Classic, Feb. 28-March 1, co-hosted by Hampton University and Norfolk State. The Herd will take on the Delaware State, Hampton, Howard and Norfolk State.

The Thundering Herd enters the weekend with an 8-5 overall record. Marshall plays on Friday at Hampton University and then will play Saturday's and Sunday's games at Norfolk State.

Marshall's Schedule
Friday at 10 a.m. vs. Delaware State        FACEBOOK LIVE | Marshall Radio Online Stream
Friday at 2 p.m. at Hampton Marshall Radio Online Stream
Saturday at 12 p.m. vs. Howard SPARTAN SOFTBALL STREAM | Marshall Radio Online Stream
Saturday at 4 p.m. at Norfolk State           SPARTAN SOFTBALL STREAM | Marshall Radio Online Stream
Sunday at 12 p.m. at Norfolk State           SPARTAN SOFTBALL STREAM |Marshall Radio Online Stream

All five of Marshall's games will be broadcast on 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online at www.marshall.edu/wmul through one of the Listen Live links as Scott Hall will have the call. Only the Delaware State game will be available through Facebook Live. No stream will be available for the Hampton contest. Each game played at Norfolk State will be streamed on the Spartan Softball Stream. All links are provided above.

Last Time Out: Dr. Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament
Marshall came away with another winning weekend with a 3-2 record from its trip to Kennesaw, Ga. The Herd struggled early in the first game against ETSU and battled back to force extra innings. Marshall trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Blakely Burch hit a one-out triple and then scored on an errant throw as the pitcher tried to throw out junior Armani Brown at first. The contest moved to the eighth inning and ETSU immediately reclaimed the lead with a 2-run home run. However, Marshall was not done fighting. The defense made the plays to keep it at a 2-run deficit. With junior Saige Pye running at second (international tie-breaker rule), sophomore Mya Stevenson got things started with an infield single that allowed Pye to score as the ball bounced hard away from the third baseman. Junior Katie Adams then got on base with a single and sophomore Rachel Pennington came in to run at first representing the game-winning run. Two batters later, junior Rachel Rousseau sent Stevenson home with a double and moved Pennington to third with the game tied at 4-4. Next, Burch came to the plate and delivered her second career walkoff hit with a single up the middle that brought home Pennington.

The Herd got the offense rolling in the second matchup with ETSU. Marshall tallied nine hits and eight walks in the 9-1 win. The highlight came in the top of the fourth as senior Haleigh Christopher came to the plate as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded, and proceeded to smack a grand slam to left-center. It was her first home run in a Herd uniform. Blakely Burch added three more runs in the sixth with a bases-clearing double. Freshman pitcher Ashley Blessin earned her second career win.

Marshall lost to Kennesaw State, 10-6, in the Saturday nightcap as the Owls piled up 11 hits. Despite the loss, Christopher belted her second homer of the day with a three-run shot in the first. The Herd came back Sunday morning with an 8-0 victory over Rhode Island. Marshall tallied 14 hits in the five-inning victory. Junior Aly Harrell drove in four runs for the third time this season. Junior pitcher Laney Jones held the Rams to just one hit in her first shutout with Marshall.

The Herd fell in the final game of the weekend, 5-1, again to the host Kennesaw State Owls. Marshall had 10 hits in the game and loaded the bases twice but just not could find the timely hit.

Opponents
Delaware State – 3rd all-time meeting, Marshall leads 2-0, last meeting March 5, 2017 – MU won 9-3
The Hornets are still looking for its first win of the season after getting out to an 0-11 start. The closest game of the year so far was an 8-5 loss to Northern Illinois in the season-opener. Delaware State has allowed 10 or more runs in eight games including a 14-3 loss to the Charlotte 49ers the last time on the field. The Hornets have also been shutout four times. As a team, Delaware State is batting .227 and has been outscored 128-17. Jasmine Melgoza leads the team offensively with a .407 average, 11 hits, three runs and one double. Hannah Crumblish is next with a .333 average, nine hits, three runs and two doubles. The Hornets pitching staff has a combined ERA of 12.04. Three players have been in the circle for Delaware State with Brianna Baker leading in innings with 24.1 and a 9.49 ERA. Tiffany Diao has tossed 17.2 innings with a 14.66 ERA. Andrea Johnson is third with 12.2 innings and a 13.82 ERA. Head coach Jeff Franquet is in his first season leading Delaware State. He has 303 wins in his collegiate coaching career that includes starting the program at Jacksonville University, then going to Georgian Court on the Division II level and then back to Division I at Central Connecticut State.

Hampton – 2nd all-time meeting, Marshall leads 1-0, last meeting Feb. 25, 2017 – MU won 7-6
The Pirates come in to the weekend with a 7-2 record. The only losses have come to East Carolina (3-1) and to Hartford (4-0). However, in four of the wins, Hampton has scored 10 or more runs. As a team, Hampton is batting .354, has outscored its opponents 72-33, and has compiled 27 stolen bases good for third in the country with 3.00 per game. Kiaya Jeusi is leading the team with a .484 average, has 15 hits, 16 RBI, seven runs, four doubles and two home runs. Tiera Washington is right behind with a .414 average adding 12 hits, seven runs and three doubles. Skylar Chavez is the leader in runs scored with 12 and stolen bases with nine, while also batting .348. The pitching staff has been very solid to begin the year with a 2.29 ERA, opposing batting average of .220 and 40 strikeouts. Noelle Doan has been the ace for the Pirates pitching 44 of the team's 58 innings so far. Doan has a 1.91 ERA, 6-0 record, 34 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .199 batting average. Head coach Angela Nicholson is in her fourth season at the helm. Her overall record at Hampton sits at 77-77. Her overall coaching record in Division I is 389-330-1. Coach Nicholson also spent a season at the NAIA level and four years at a JUCO.

Howard – First ever meeting
The Bison enter the weekend with a 1-13 record overall. The lone win was a 12-4 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 16, at the Campbell Invitational. Howard has been outscored 111-39 this season. The Bison are hitting .236 as a team with Camille Navarro leading the way. Navarro is hitting .372, has 16 hits, 11 runs, three doubles and has eight of the team's 10 stolen bases. Right behind her is Kalita Dennis with a .341 average, 15 hits, nine RBI, seven runs, five doubles and the team's only home run that came against Kent State. Dennis, the 2019 MEAC Rookie of the Year, hit two doubles against Bucknell and Mount St. Mary's. The Bison have struggled in the circle with a 6.39 ERA and an opposing batting average of .366. Sydney Hixenbaugh has the most innings with 31 and 17 strikeouts, however she has a 6.77 ERA and a record of 0-6. Nevaeh Castruita has the second most innings with 22.2, a 1-2 record, one complete game, a 6.79 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Head coach Tori Tyson is in her second season leading Howard and has a 20-42 overall record.

Norfolk State – First ever meeting
The Spartans are 2-6 coming into its second weekend of home games. Norfolk State is currently on a five-game losing streak after winning back-to-back contests over Robert Morris (6-3) and South Carolina State (4-1). As a team, the Spartans are hitting .196 and have been outscored 37-20. Shelby DesChamps is leading the team with a .333 average. She has five hits, three runs, one double and is 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Jazzmaine Hammond is the leading base-stealing threat at 6-of-7. Hammond also has five hits, four runs and has been walked four times. Tuli Iosefa has the Spartans lone home run coming against South Carolina State. The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.65, 25 strikeouts, an opponent batting average of .272 and has allowed 10 home runs. Skylar Swain has the most innings with 18.1, a record of 1-2 as well as one save. Kirsten Greene leads the team with a 3.39 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched and has seven strikeouts. Head coach James Inzana is in his third year leading the program. The team won the MEAC Northern Division title in 2019 with an 11-4 conference record. Coach Inzana was named the 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year. His overall record at Norfolk State is 48-54.

Marshall finally comes home to Dot Hicks Field on Tuesday, March 3, for a doubleheader against the Akron Zips. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. The Herd then hosts the Thundering Herd Round Robin, March 6-8, as Rutgers and Bucknell travel to Huntington.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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On the Road Again, Week Four, Softball Heads to Pirate Classic

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Ashley Blessin

Armani Brown

Blakely Burch

Haleigh Christopher

Aly Harrell

Laney Jones

Rachel Pennington

Saige Pye

Rachel Rousseau

Mya Stevenson

Marshall University Athletics