BALTIMORE, Md. (March 4, 2023)—The Morgan State softball team opened the 2023 home campaign and Day 1 of the MSU Tournament with a pair of losses to Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) on Saturday afternoon at Lois T. Murray Field.
 
Morgan State (4-8) dropped a heartbreaker in the opener, falling 3-2. The Knights (6-6) then won the nightcap, 6-4 in six innings. The second game was called after six innings due to darkness.
 
Morgan State and FDU were facing each other for the first time since the 2018 MSU Tournament, which was played exactly five years ago to the day (March 4, 2018). The Knights would win that game to put an end to a then three-game losing skid to the Lady Bears.
 
Coupled with today's sweep, the Knights have now won three straight against Morgan State and since the 2010 campaign, have won four straight over the Lady Bears at Lois T. Murray Field.
 
How It Happened: Game 1
Morgan State jumped out to a 2-0 lead, following back-to-back RBI doubles in the second inning. Melissa Paz got the Lady Bears on the board with her double to left center to score Anaya Hunte. Chandler Mitchell stepped to the plate and also doubled to left center to score Paz and give the hosts the two-run advantage.
 
Behind solid defense and the pitching of Hunte, the score would remain 2-0 until the Knights struck for three runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Alex Hooper scored the first run for FDU when A Costa doubled to right center. Costa would score the tying run on I Herring's sac fly to center field. The Knights took their first lead of the game when a Morgan error allowed Megan Berg to score the third and final run of the inning for and complete the comeback for FDU.
 
The Knights finished the game totaling three runs on six hits, while Morgan State had two runs on three hits and had three errors. Both teams left five runners on base.
 
Jess DeWitt went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead FDU. Alayna Savaglio improved to 3-1 on the season. Savaglio pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks, while striking out eight.
                                                                                                                        
Paz was 1-for-1 with a run, RBI and two walks to lead Morgan State. At the plate Hunte went 1-for-3 with a run scored. On the mound she pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing a walk and striking out a game-high 10 batters.    
 
The MSU Tournament concludes on Sunday, March 5 with three games. Fairleigh Dickinson and Bryant will kick off the day at 11 a.m., followed by Morgan State and FDU at 1 p.m. Morgan State will then face Bryant in the tournament finale at 3 p.m. All three contests will be played at Lois T. Murray Field.  


FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /MorganStateBears
 Twitter: @MorganStBears
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears

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.