BALTIMORE, Md. (April 16, 2022)--The Morgan State softball team completed a three-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series sweep of visiting Maryland Eastern Shore with a 5-3 victory on Saturday afternoon in front of a record overflow crowd at Lois T. Murray Field.
 
The victory extended Morgan's (21-13, 12-3 MEAC) winning streak to six straight, while the Hawks (14-27, 10-5 MEAC) dropped their fifth straight.
  
Morgan State which entered the weekend series tied for second place in the MEAC standings and a game out of first place behind MDES, now sits in a first-place tie with Norfolk State. The Lady Bears hold the tie breaker over Norfolk State due to their series win over the Spartans earlier in the season.
 
The Lady Bears broke up a scoreless game with five runs in the bottom of the third. Mia Ewell singled to right field to score Katariina Delph for the 1-0 lead. Tayvin Rousseau followed with bases loaded when she doubled to left center to drive in three runs and increase the Morgan lead to 4-0. Rousseau would later score on a wild pitch to make it a 5-0 contest, which would be all the Lady Bears would need.
 
The score would remain that way until the fifth inning, when the Hawks scored two runs on a Morgan State fielding error, scoring Kaylyn Sterling and Ah-Nayia Oglesby to cut the deficit to 5-2.
 
MDES would add another run in the sixth inning when Kelsie Ekstrom scored on a wild pitch to bring the guests within, 5-3. The Hawks added some excitement when McKenzie Abiley reached on a fielding error and Rebecca Miller, representing the tying run, followed with a double down the left field line to give the Hawks runners at first and second. But Paz would strikeout Sterling to end any further threat by MDES in the sixth.
 
Rousseau finished 1-for-2 with a run and a game-high 3RBIs to lead the Lady Bears. Mia Ewell added two hits, a run and RBI, while Delph and Aliya Ewell each had a hit to account for Morgan State's five hits for the game.
 
Anaya Hunte improved to 11-3 on the season and earned her second win in the series. Hunte pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits, a walk and struck out a game-high six batters. Melissa Paz, who entered the week ranked second in the nation in ERA, collected the save. Paz allowed one run on two hits and recorded five strikeouts in relief.
 
The Hawks were led by Sterling, who was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run. Saje Kurpiela (0-2) was charged with the loss, giving up five runs on three hits, a walk and recording two strikeouts.
 
Morgan State returns to action on Wednesday, April  20, when it welcomes Rider to Lois T. Murray Field for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.