BALTIMORE, Md. (March 19, 2022)-The Morgan State softball team finally got to play on its home field for the first time this season, when the Lady Bears welcomed crosstown rival Coppin State to Lois T. Murray Field for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) season opener for both teams.
 
The defending MEAC champion Lady Bears would come away victorious, sweeping Saturday afternoon's doubleheader, winning the opener 5-3, before getting a 5-0 victory behind a one-hit, school record 13 strikeout performance by pitcher Anaya Hunte in the nightcap.
 
Morgan State, winners of three straight and five of its last six games, improved to 9-8 overall, 2-0 in the MEAC. Coppin State fell to 0-18, 0-2 MEAC.
 
Game 1
Coppin State struck first when Avianna Peterson scored on a Morgan State fielding error, to give the guests a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
 
The Lady Bears, who have now won four straight over their rivals, would respond with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4-1 lead after one inning played.
 
Aliya Ewell singled to right field to score Mia Ewell to even the score at 1-1. Pitcher Victoria Fletcher later doubled to score Asia Thomas and Tayven Rousseau to make it a 3-1 Morgan State advantage. Anaya Hunte doubled up the middle to score Fletcher for the Lady Bears' fourth run of the inning, which proved to be all they would need.
 
Coppin State would not go away, adding two runs in the top of the third when Isabella Zalba doubled to left center to drive in two more runs for the Eagles and cute Morgan's lead to 4-3.
 
The hosts would get a run back in the bottom of the third when Thomas scored on a double hit left field by Madison Nunez, giving the Lady Bears the 5-3 lead.
 
Mia Ewell would go 3-for-3 with a run and a walk to lead Morgan State. Thomas finished 1-for-2 with a game-high two runs scored and a walk. Fletcher improved to 4-4 with the win, allowing just one hit, three runs, two walks, while throwing three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. She also helped her cause by recording a hit, RBI and a run scored. Melissa Paz also tossed three strikeouts in relief, while Hunte had struck out two batters in relief.
 
Coppin State's Vanessa Carrizosa, who was charged with the loss, recorded a game-high five strikeouts, while walking four batters and surrendering five runs on nine hits.
 
Makayla Caballero went 2-for-2 with a run scored to lead the Eagles. Peterson scored a game-high two runs.
 
Game 2
It was the Anaya Hunte show on the mound in the second game, as the sophomore put on a pitching clinic, throwing a career-high and school record 13 strikeouts. Hunte would retire the side in six of the seven innings, including twice by strikeouts in first and third, when she fanned all three of the Coppin batters she faced in those innings.
 
Morgan State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first when Mia Ewell scored from third on a throwing error by the Coppin catcher.
 
The score would stay that way until the fourth inning when the hosts added two more runs to extend the lead to 3-0.
 
The Lady Bears' fourth run of the contest came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mia Ewell, who singled to start the inning, stole both second and third base, before scoring on a grounder hit to shortstop by Melissa Paz.
 
Morgan State closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when Hunte scored from third on a passed ball for the 5-0 final.
 
Mia Ewell finished the game with two hits on three at bats and two runs scored to lead Morgan State.
 
Hunte improved to 6-2 on the season, following the complete game win, surrendering a hit and two walks to go with her 13 strikeouts.
 
Vanessa Carrizosa recorded Coppin's lone hit of the game with two outs in the sixth inning to break-up Hunte's no-hit bid.
 
The Lady Bears will look to complete the series sweep over Coppin State on Sunday, March 20 at noon at Lois T. Murray Field.