BALTIMORE, Md. (April 30, 2022)--The Morgan State softball team needed some late inning heroics in the nightcap of its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader on Saturday against visiting North Carolina Central (NCCU), to win 2-1 at Lois T. Murray Field. Morgan State would also win the opening game 9-1 win in six innings to complete the sweep and extend its season-long winning streak to 13 straight.
 
Sunday's series finale will now take place at 9:30 a.m. due to the possibility of rain.
 
Saturday's matchup was the first meeting between the two teams since last season's MEAC Championship game, won by Morgan State.
 
With the wins, the Lady Bears (28-13, 17-3 MEAC) inched closer to clinching the MEAC regular season crown, as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming MEAC Softball Championship.
 
The Lady Bears entered the weekend tied for first in the league standings with Norfolk State with identical 15-3 MEAC records, but the Spartans would drop their doubleheader series on Saturday at Maryland Eastern Shore to fall to 15-5.
 
Morgan State's sweep of NCCU tied the 2018 team for the school record for wins at 28. The Lady Bears also set the school record for most MEAC wins in a season with 17, surpassing the 1998 team that finished 16-0.
 
Game 1
NCCU (11-33, 8-12 MEAC) struck first in the opening game when Anisa Reynolds homered to left field with two outs in the second inning to give the visiting Eagles a 1-0 lead.
 
Morgan State's bats got going in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs on three hits to take a 4-1 lead. Asia Thomas tripled to right center to score Danielle Jason to the tying run. Mia Ewell put the Lady Bears up for good when she singled through the right side to score Thomas, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage. Back-to-back groundouts hit to short by Madison Nunez and Melissa Paz each drove in a run to make it a 4-1 game.
 
The Lady Bears went back to work in the fifth when Paz doubled up the middle to score Tayven Rousseau and Nunez, increasing the lead to 6-1. Victoria Fletcher singled to right field to score Sarah Tuzinski to put Morgan up 7-1 through five innings.
 
Morgan State put the game away in the bottom of the sixth inning when Paz singled through the right side to score both Mia Ewell and Nunez, giving the Lady Bears a 9-1 advantage and ending the game by the eight-run rule.
 
Paz drove in a game-high five RBIs on two hits, while Mia Ewell went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI. Nunez finished with two hits, two runs and a RBI. Fletcher also recorded two hits and a RBI in the win.
 
Anaya Hunte improved to 13-3 with the win, surrendering a run on three hits, two walks and striking out a game-high 12 batters in six innings.
 
Reynolds was charged with the loss for the Eagles and fell to 1-7 on the season. She pitched 5.2 innings, giving up nine runs on 12 hits, two walks and had struck out two batters.
 
Game 2
The Eagles got on the board in the second inning when Reynolds singled to shortstop to score Hailey Batista for the 1-0 lead.
 
NCCU starting pitcher Ashanti Eubanks (7-10) would pitch a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
 
It was looking pretty bleak for Morgan State, as NCCU starting pitcher Ashanti Eubanks (7-10) would pitch a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
 
However, Aliya Ewell would single up the middle in the sixth inning to break up the no-hit attempt by Eubanks. Ewell then stole second and advanced to third on the throw. As Ewell was sliding into third, a fielding error allowed her to score the tying run.
 
Still tied at 1-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, Thomas led off the inning with a single to short. Mia Ewell was hit by a pitch and Rousseau followed with a walk to load the bases with no outs. Nunez reached on a fielder's choice and Thomas was out at home. With bases still loaded with one out, Paz stepped to the plate and delivered a single to short, scoring Mia Ewell for the game winning run.
 
Morgan State starting pitcher Victoria Fletcher allowed one run on four hits and struck out a game-high seven batters in six innings. Paz (5-2) earned the win in relief, striking out two and surrendering a hit in one inning.
 
Eubanks surrendered two runs on three hits, issued 10 walks and struck out five batters in 6.1 innings.
 
Next Up
Morgan State and NCCU will wrap up the series and the MEAC regular season with a single-game on Sunday, May 1. First pitch is at 12 p.m. at Lois T. Murray Field. Sunday's contest will mark Senior Day for Morgan State, which will honor its four seniors (Aliya Ewell, Kyley FiJalkowski, Tayven Rousseau, Cayla Sweazie), prior to the game. Morgan State will also unveil its 2021 MEAC Championship banner.
 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 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.