ELON, N.C. (Feb. 11, 2023)—The Morgan State softball team bounced back from its season opening loss earlier this morning to Winthrop, by defeating host Elon, 5-1 on Saturday afternoon in the Elon Softball Classic held at Hunt Softball Park.
 
The win evened Morgan's record to 1-1 on the young season, while the Phoenix fell to 1-2. With the win, Morgan State avenged last season's tournament loss to Elon.
 
Emily Raubuch (1-0) pitched 5.2 innings and struck out four batters to earn the win. Elon's McKenna McCard (0-1) was charged with the loss. McCard would surrender three runs on two hits, two walks and threw five strikeouts.
 
Morgan State jumped on the Phoenix, scoring three runs in the first inning. Asia Thomas and Mia Ewell each scored on a wild pitch to give the Lady Bears a 2-0 lead. Victoria Fletcher, who finished 1-for-2 with a run and a walk, stepped to the plate and homered to left field to make it a 3-0 advantage.
 
Elon got on the board when C Penny drew a bases loaded walk to score M Grant, cutting Morgan's cushion to 3-1.
 
Morgan State closed out the scoring by adding two more runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 5-1. Madison Nunez crossed the plate on a throwing by the Elon catcher and Maia Wilkins scored the fifth and final run when Deborah Hamilton grounded out on a sacrifice bunt.
 
Thomas led the Lady Bears with a game-high two stolen bases, while Ewell and Nia Lewis each added one.  
 
Morgan State will close out the tournament later this evening when it plays its third game of the day, facing a former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe in North Carolina A&T. First pitch is at 5 p.m.
 
Morgan State and A&T las met on April 16, 2021 in the MEAC Round-Up in Orangeburg, S.C. The Aggies would win the MEAC's mid-season event, 7-4, in a contest which featured the league's division leaders. A month later the Lady Bears would go on to capture the program's first MEAC softball title and advanced to the NCAA Regional.   
 
 
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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.