WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 2, 2023)--The Morgan State softball team went into the Nation's Capital and split its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader on Sunday at Howard at Nationals Youth Classic. The Lady Bears would drop the opener, 7-5 before earning a 5-4 victory in the finale.

Morgan State improved to 17-13, 7-1 MEAC, while Howard upped its record to 10-18, 3-4 MEAC. No make-up date for the third game of the series has been announced at this time.
 
Game 1
Meeting for the first time since last season's MEAC championship game, the guests struck first with three runs in the first inning. Asia Thomas scored on a wild pitch and Mia Ewell scored the second run when Madison Nunez flied out to left field. Ky'Anah Lake scored on an error by the Howard second baseman, giving the Lady Bears a 3-0 advantage.
 
Howard got on the board in the bottom half of the inning when Kalita Dennis singled to shortstop, scoring Alyssa Vasquez to make it a 3-1 game.
 
Morgan State went back to work in the third inning when Nunez hit a two-run homer to left center to increase the Lady Bears' lead to 5-1.
 
However, the defending MEAC champions would not be outdone, as the Bison responded with six runs in the bottom of the third.
 
Dennis singled to drive in the first two runs and later scored on a bunt single by Victoria Brown to bring the hosts within a run at 5-4. An error at first, allowed Brown to score on a throw to even the score at 5-5. Another Morgan State error gave the Bison the lead for good when Sydni Jones scored the sixth run. Maryn Jordan singled up the middle to score Amelia Weber for the seventh and final run.
 
The Bison were led by Dennis, who went 2-for-4 with 3RBIs and a run. Brown, Jordan and Vasquez all recorded two hits and scored at least a run. Vasquez scored twice. Mia Gonzales (6-8) picked up the win for Howard. She threw five strikeouts and surrendered two runs on four hits and a walk.
 
Nunez led the Lady Bears, going 2-for-2 with 3RBIs and a run. Victoria Fletcher went 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
Game 2
Much like the opener, the Lady Bears once again struck first with multiple runs in the first inning. Melissa Paz doubled to left field to drive in Asia Thomas and Mia Ewell for the early 2-0 advantage.
 
Howard would respond back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at 2 all. V Brown doubled, scoring A Vasquez and K Dennis.
 
The score remained 2-2, until the fourth inning when the Bison took the lead on a single to left field by A Weber to score S Flethcher for the 3-2 lead.
 
Morgan State scored three runs in the top of the sixth to reclaim the lead, 5-3. Anaya Hunte tripled to right center to score Nia Lewis. The Lady Bears took the 4-3 lead when Hunte scored after Asia Thomas reached base on an error by the shortstop. Victoria Fletcher singled up the middle, scoring Thomas for Morgan's fifth run of the contest.
 
Howard got a run back in the seventh when M Jordan stole second and L Ricks stole home to cut the deficit to 5-4. That would be as close as the Bison would get, as Morgan State held on for the 5-4 victory.
 
Fletcher earned the win for Morgan State and Hunte recorded her second save of the season. Fletcher finished with two strikeouts in five innings of work to improve to 6-2 on the season. Hunte threw a strikeout in two innings of relief. Paz had a game-high 2RBIs and Thomas scored a game-high two runs.
 
Maryn Jordan led the Bison going 3-for-4 at the plate. Mia Gonzales fell to 6-9 with the loss, but had a game-high four strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
 
Next Up
Morgan State will be off until this Friday, April 7 when it hosts Delaware State in a MEAC doubleheader at Lois T. Murray Field. First pitch is at noon. The three-game series will conclude on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m.
 
 
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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.