ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – The Hampton University softball team opened the 2013 MEAC Championships on Thursday morning with a 6-3 first-round win over North Carolina A&T at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

Hampton has won 12 of its last 14 games.

The Lady Pirates (31-23), the top seed from the Northern Division, used a five-run third inning to complete the comeback and advance to the quarterfinals. Hampton will take on either Florida A&M or Delaware State on Thursday at 7 p.m.

North Carolina A&T struck first in the top of the first inning, scoring three times. The first two runs came on a fielding error, before an RBI triple from Raven Smith gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead.

Hampton answered in the bottom of the first, after junior Margaret Wilkins (Tustin, Calif.) led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Bianca Vallejo (Chandler, Ariz.).

Freshman Taylor McCoy (Riverview, Fla.) flew out to right field to score Wilkins and cut the lead to 3-1.

The Lady Pirates then scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning, starting with an RBI single to left field from freshman Bobbi Langlois (Medina, Ohio), which scored Vallejo. After a North Carolina A&T pitching change, senior Nina Ferguson (Plymouth, Minn.) singled home McCoy to tie the game at 3-3.

Later in the inning, the bases were loaded for freshman Diamond Ponds (Riverside, Calif.), who tripled to left field to score all three runners and give Hampton a 6-3 lead.

After the first inning, the Aggies (9-34) only managed two base runners.

McCoy went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Lady Pirates, while Ponds was 2-for-3 and Ferguson was 2-for-2. Ponds had a team-high three RBIs.

Six of the nine Hampton starters had at least one hit.

Sophomore Jailynn Jackson (Virginia Beach, Va.) struck out nine batters in seven innings of work, scattering four hits in picking up her 24th win of the season. All three runs that scored against her in the first inning were unearned.

Jackson is now 14 strikeouts away from tying the program single-season strikeout record.

For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.