PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (April 22, 2021)-Kyley Fijalkowski batted a combined .556 with a team-high five hits, including one of Morgan State's five homers on the day to help the Lady Bears to a non-conference doubleheader split at Drexel on Thursday afternoon at the Drexel Softball Field.
 
The Lady Bears claimed the series opener, 13-8 and then dropped the second game, 7-3. The victory over Drexel was just the second home loss this season for the Dragons, who fell to 12-2 at DU Softball Field.
 
Fijalkowski finished with a team-leading three runs, had 2 RBI and totaled a team-high eight bases. Aliya Ewell, who had three hits, including a double and homerun, totaled seven bases, scored twice and finished with 3 RBI. Ellen Ebbers and Ashley Shanks each recorded two hits, homered, drove in three runs and totaled five bases.
 
The two teams totaled 26 hits, as the Lady Bears scored 13 runs on 13 hits, while the Dragons also had 13 hits and scored eight runs. The two teams combined to hit five homeruns in the opener with the guests accounting for three homers.
 
Morgan State (15-13) got on the board first when Aliya Ewell homered to right center to give the guests a 1-0 lead.
 
Drexel (19-7) scored two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 advantage. Hannah Walker doubled to right center to even the score and Elena Woulfe singled through the right side to score Walker for the second run. The Dragons extended their lead to 3-1 when Holly Bridgman flied out to center to plate Alana Backstrom.
 
After the Lady Bears responded with two runs in the fourth to even the score at 4-4, Drexel scored four runs in the fourth to increase its lead to 7-3.
 
The Dragons hit back-to-back homers in the inning when Rush homered to center field to drive in three runs and Kristi DiMeo followed when she also homered to center field.
 
Morgan State erupted for six runs in the fifth, a run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to break open the contest and take a 13-7 lead. The Lady Bears pulled within 7-6 when Fijalkowski scored on a wild pitch. Ellen Ebbers then hit a three-run homerun to left field, giving the guests a 9-7 lead.
 
The Lady Bears were back at it in the seventh when Ashley Shanks homered to center field to put eh guests up 10-7. Morgan was back at it again in the seventh inning with another two-out rally, scoring three more runs.
 
Aliya Ewell doubled to right center with two outs to score Annisa Dorres and Shanks followed with a two-run single to score Mia Ewell and Aliya Ewell to increase Morgan's lead to 13-7.
 
The Dragons managed to get a run back in the bottom of the seventh inning when DiMeo doubled to right center to score Taylor Kent for the eighth and final run of the game.
 
Fijalkowski totaled a team-high three hits and scored twice, while Aliya Ewell and Shanks each had two hits and had a team-best 3 RBI. Ebbers also drove in a team-high 3 RBI with her homer and Cayla Sweazie finished with 2 RBI.
 
Sarah Tuzinski (1-0) picked up her first win of the season for Morgan State after allowing one run on six hits in four innings of relief work. Starting pitcher Mikayla Barnard went three innings and recorded a game-high three strikeouts.
 
Drexel's Meghan Conroy (4-1) suffered her first loss of the season. Conroy gave up six runs on four hits and threw three strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief.  
 
Morgan State was scheduled to face crosstown foe Towson in a doubleheader at Tiger Softball Stadium on Wednesday, April, 28, but that series was canceled following a positive Covid test within the Towson program.
 
The Lady Bears will now be off until Saturday, May 1 when they close out the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season with a doubleheader at Coppin State. First pitch is at noon. The Lady Bears will conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader on Sunday, May 2 at beginning at 1 p.m.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.