BALTIMORE, Md. (April 19, 2015)-The Morgan State softball team closed out the 2015 home slate with a wild affair against Beltway rival Howard on Sunday afternoon at Lois T. Murray Field. In the end the visiting Lady Bison would hold on for a 16-14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division victory over Morgan State on the Lady Bears' Senior Day.
 
Following the game, Morgan State held a ceremony to honor its three seniors (Toni Hinton, Zina Constancia and Claudette Tanabe-Smith), who played in their final home game of their career.
 
With the win, the Lady Bison took the season series against Morgan State, winning the final two games of the three-game series. Howard (14-24, 8-7 MEAC) also moved perhaps one win away from securing a spot in the upcoming MEAC Tournament. Howard now holds a 30-11 advantage over the Lady Bears since the 2004 season and has won 10 of the last 12 series against Morgan State. The Lady Bison close out their MEAC schedule next weekend on the road at first-place Delaware State.
 
For Morgan State (4-26, 3-8 MEAC), which currently sits in seventh-place in the northern division standings, the loss marked the squads' third MEAC series loss this season. If the Lady Bears are to advance to this year's MEAC Tournament, they will first need to win all six of their upcoming games against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Coppin State to close out the regular season.
 
Morgan State, which will also need some help, must hope that Delaware State sweeps Howard or that Hampton drops all six of their remaining games. Morgan State and Hampton spilt their doubleheader and have yet to reschedule the third and final game of the series. If that game is needed or rescheduled, that would provide a seventh remaining conference game for both.
 
The Lady Bears took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first when Danielle Pitpit, who doubled to left to drive in the first run, scored on a single to center field hit by Constancia.
 
Howard would strike for four runs in the second to take a 5-2 lead. Al'Asia Davis drew a bases loaded walk, which scored Janessa Flynn to even the game at 2-2. Imani Ballard singled to right field to score two runs to make it a 4-2 game. A throwing error by Morgan State would allow Davis to later score and put the guests in front 5-2.
 
The Lady Bears would not be outdone, as they would score seven runs in the second to reclaim the lead, 9-5. Kate Vosper got the Lady Bears back in the game when she cranked a three-run shot that cleared the left center field fence to tie the game at 5-5. Constancia later doubled to right field to score two more runs and give Morgan State a 7-5 lead. The Lady Bears would extend their lead to 9-5 when Kimber Salvas singled to right field to score Kimberly Fontaine and Alyssa Blanco.
 
Howard pulled within a run at 8-9, after adding three more runs in the third inning, including a two-run double from Deja Henderson. Jenny Ly's solo shot in the fourth inning tied the score at 9-9 and Henderson's unearned run in the fifth inning gave the Lady Bison a 10-9 lead.
 
With the Howard pitching and defense holding the Morgan State bats at bay for four straight innings, the Lady Bison would add to their lead with a six run output in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 16-9.
 
A triple by Sade Estes drove in the first two runs of the innings and Ballard flied out to center field to score Estes for the third Howard run of the inning. Milan Poindexter later drove in two runs with her double to left center field and Briana Banks singled through the right side to score Poindexter and give the Lady Bison the 16-9 advantage.
 
But the Lady Bears would not go away, responding with five runs of their own. Pitpit hit a two-out three-run homer to left field to bring the Lady Bears within 16-13 and Salvas, who scored the first run of the inning, singled through the right side to score Tanabe-Smith to make it a 16-14 game.
 
Howard pitcher Tara Castellanos would come in to relieve Flynn and record a strikeout for the final out to preserve the win for the Lady Bison.
 
Morgan State was led by Pitpit, who finished with three hits in four at bats, a game-high four RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Salvas also went 3-for-4 with 3RBI and two runs scored. Vosper went 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and 3RBI, while Constancia was 2-for-3 with 3RBI and two walks in her final home game. Fellow senior Tanabe-Smith was 1-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored.
 
Ballard led Howard with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate a walk and a team-high 3RBI. Flynn finished 3-for-4 with 2RBI and a run scored. Ly and Poindexter each went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a walk. Poindexter added 2RBI, and Ly had one.    
 
The Lady Bears will take to the road next weekend, when they travel to Princess Anne, Md. to face the Lady Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore (April 25-26). The two teams will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., before closing out the series on Sunday with a single game at noon.