BALTIMORE, Md. (March 16, 2024)--Morgan State began the 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schedule by splitting a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against Delaware State at the DSU Softball Field.
 
The Lady Bears would win the opener, 1-0 to record the 18^th consecutive victory over the Hornets, before dropping the nightcap, 7-6 in eight innings.
 
Morgan State (10-12, 1-1 MEAC) broke a scoreless contest in Game 1 when Gianna Ettore flied out to centerfield with bases loaded to score Amber Rivas for what would be the game winner. The win was the 13^th shutout victory for Morgan State over the Hornets in the last 18 meetings.
 
The Lady Bears, who finished with four hits, were led by Rivas, who went 2-for-3 with a run.
 
Anaya Hunte earned the win, throwing three strikeouts and scattering four hits in 4,1 innings. Emily Raubuch picked up the save, allowing two hits and throwing a strikeout in 2.2 innings pitched.
 
In the second game, the Lady Bears held a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning when Laila Hasan doubled to left center with bases loaded to score three and even the score at 6-6 to force extra innings.
 
The Hornets (8-11, 1-1 MEAC) would win the game in the eighth inning on a single hit to center field by Mikaela Francois to give the hosts the 7-6 win. It would be the first win for Delaware State over Morgan State since a 9-8 Game 2 win in Dover on April 14, 2017, ending an 18-game losing skid to the Lady Bears.
 
Delaware State jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and another in the second.
 
Morgan State responded with two runs in the third, two more in the fourth and two more in the sixth to take a 6-3 advantage, setting the stage for the Hornets' comeback.
 
Delaware State finished with 14 hits and committed four errors. Morgan State totaled six runs on six hits.
 
Anaya Hunte was 2-for-2 at the play with 2RBI, while Alison Keener also recorded two hits in four at bats and scored a run. Amber Rivas went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run. Cassie White scored two runs and had an RBI.
 
Ellie Bostedt and Victoria Fletcher each threw three strikeouts for the Lady Bears.
 
Yurcaba McKenzie got the win for Delaware State. She surrendered six runs on six hits and recorded five strikeouts in eight innings of work.
 
Hasan finished 3-for-4 with a game-high 4 RBI. Uxua Modrego Lopez was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and 2 RBI, while Kayla Lester finished 3-for-5 with two runs.
  
Next Up: Morgan State and Delaware State will conclude its three-game series on Sunday with a single game beginning at 12 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.