Bear Shots

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (May 9, 2018)-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Pitcher of the Year Amy Begg tallied six strikeouts, while allowing three hits and surrendering no runs, as the top-seeded Lady Bears defeated No. 4 North Carolina Central (NCCU), 2-0 in the opener on Wednesday afternoon.

The win marked several firsts for the Lady Bears, who continue to add to their historic season. The win was the first time since 2008 that Morgan State has won a game in the championships and reached the second day, as well as the first time a Morgan State team has won the opening game since 2007. The victory also marked the first time ever the Lady Bears have beaten a Southern Division foe in the tournament since divisional play began in 2009.

Due to the new bracket setup for this season, win or lose, the Lady Bears were going to advance to Day 2 of the championships, as under the new setup, all eight teams would play just one game on opening day.

Begg, who improved to 16-6 on the season, would extend her single-season and career shutouts totals to nine and 16, respectively.

In a battle between the league's top two pitchers, North Carolina Central's Courtney Mirabella (15-15) would not be outdone. The first-team selection would throw five strikeouts and allowed two runs on two hits in six innings of work in the loss.

Morgan State (28-15) would get on the board first in the second inning when Jalian Young singled to left field to score Anissa Morales, giving the Lady Bears an early 1-0 lead.

The Lady Bears would increase their lead to 2-0 in the third inning when Damali Young scored on a fielder's choice sac bunt hit by Gabriella Gorosave.

Behind Begg and the Lady Bears' defense, that would be all the offense Morgan State would need.

Damali and Jalian Young each recorded a hit for the Lady Bears. Jacobia Johnson, Lauren Sitterson and Jessica Powell each accounted for the Eagles' three hits.

The Lady Bears will now take on the winner between Florida A&M and Delaware State on Thursday, May 10 at 3 p.m. 

NCCU (17-25) will face the loser of that game at noon on Thursday.