Morgan State 14, UMES 13
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (April 18, 2010)-One day after ending a season-long 18-game losing skid, the Lady Bears softball team completed their weekend series with the Universisty of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) by recording their first three-game winning streak of the season, following a 14-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) victory over the Lady Hawks on Sunday afternoon at Lady Hawks Stadium.
With the win, Morgan State which completed its sweep of the Lady Hawks in the three-game weekend series, earned its first MEAC series win in its last six series tries, since defeating Hampton in two out of three games last season (April 4-5, 2009).
The Lady Bears (7-20, 3-6 MEAC), whose bats finally began to come around last weekend against Hampton, scored 14 runs on 12 hits. Morgan State pitcher Porsche Boddicker helped her cause by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBIs, while Lydia Rodriguez also drove in three runs on one hit.
Morgan State struck early and often scoring 13 of its runs in the first four innings. The Lady Bears got three runs in both the first and second innings to take a 6-0 lead and extended their cushion to 11-0 with five runs in the third inning.
Hannah Montgomery (2-for-5), who led off the third inning with a single, would score on a bases loaded walk to Devina Brown. Jeretta Simpkins later scored on a wild pitch and Boddicker doubled to left field to score two more runs, before Tamra Griffin later singled to shortstop to score Boddicker for the 11-0 advantage.
After Boddicker quickly retired the three batters she faced in the third, the guests went back to work in the top of the fourth inning with two more runs off of back-to-back RBI singles by Brown and Boddicker to increase the Morgan State lead to 13-0.
However, UMES would get things going and took over the scoring, producing a total of 13 runs in three innings, including a seven-run fifth-inning to even the score at 13 all heading into the seventh inning.
The Lady Hawks (1-25, 0-9 MEAC) got three runs in the bottom of the fourth, before their big seven-run fifth inning to avoid the eight-run mercy rule and extend the game to the full seven innings. Ebony Hahn started the inning with a triple down the right field line and scored on a single by Jasmine James. UMES recorded four more hits before registering the first out of the inning.
UMES would tie the game at 13 apiece with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Morgan State would load the bases in the top of the seventh for Rodriguez, who flied out to right field to score Jaclyn Hall for the game winner.
Boddicker, who won all three games against the Lady Hawks, improved to 5-13 on the season. Boddicker pitched a complete game, allowing 13 runs on 18 hits, surrendering four walks and tallied two strikeouts.
The Lady Bears return to action on Wednesday, April 21 when they visit Maryland Baltimore County in a non-conference game at 2 p.m.
