Box Score CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL |
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NORFOLK, Va. (May 10, 2024)--Today was senior
Victoria Fletcher's birthday. What more could she have done on her special day to help her Lady Bears succeed on 'Semifinal Friday'?
Only hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 8th to defeat South Carolina State in game one 3-2 and put Morgan State on the board in game two to help lead the Lady Bears comeback from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat North Carolina Central 5-3 to advance them to the MEAC Softball Championship game.
Both games seemed to follow a script in terms of the Lady Bears falling behind early only to rally later in the game.
Consolation Game 2: Morgan State 3, South Carolina State 2 (8 innings)
In Game 1, South Carolina State started off well. The Lady Bulldogs jumped on Morgan State in the top of the second inning when Cameron Hall drove in Jayla King with an RBI single to right to take a 1-0 lead. Then they doubled their pleasure when Jade Hendric doubled to center, driving in Aaliyah Hill to make it 2-0. It could've been more. However, the throw from center field nailed Hall at the plate to retire the side.
Morgan State head coach
Larry Hineline brought in reliever
Emily Raubuch to the circle to replace
Ellie Bostedt in the third inning. Turned out to be a great move as Raubuch shut down the Lady Bulldog bats, giving up just two hits and striking out four in 5.2 innings pitched.
Morgan State (32-18) finally figured out SCSU pitcher Aaliyah Hill. Bostedt doubled down the left field line and was moved to third on a wild pitch. Then Fletcher drove in Bostedt with a sacrifice fly to right to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Melissa Paz then singled to right and was pinch run for by
Nia Lewis. Shortly after Lewis stole second,
Mia Ewell singled to deep second base to drive in the speedy Lewis, tying the game at 2-2.
The game stayed tied at two until the bottom of the eighth. Bostedt started the proceedings with a double to the right field fence. Then Fletcher ended the Lady Bulldogs' season by ripping an RBI single up the middle to advance to game two against NCCU.
The result also broke the program record for most wins in a season at 32, which the 2022 team had set with 31 victories.
Consolation Game Final: Morgan State 5, North Carolina Central 3
Like they did in the tournament opener on Wednesday, the defending MEAC champions punched Morgan State in the mouth to open the second game by again putting three runs on the board in the first inning.
NCCU (20-36) started with Makiya Graves launching an RBI double to right center. Jaylah Barr followed with an RBI single to score Graves. Then Hailey Batista grounded to the shortstop to drive in Barr, giving the Lady Eagles a 3-0 lead.
Victoria Fletcher started for Morgan State in the circle. But after NCCU hit her hard, Fletcher gave way to
Melissa Paz, who helped put out the Lady Eagle fire.
Morgan got up from that brief knockdown and responded in the bottom of the second.
Mia Ewell scored the first Lady Bear run when
Ky'Anah Lake reached on a fielders' choice.
Anaya Hunte then drove in Lake on a double hit to left center. However, she was thrown out at second base. This reduced the deficit to 3-2.
In the third inning, Morgan State (33-18) began to take over. With the bases loaded,
Melissa Paz singled to left center to drive in a pair of runs to give the Lady Bears a 4-3 lead. Then Ewell followed up with an RBI double, driving home Paz to give MSU the 5-3 advantage.
Paz, who pitched three shutout innings in relief, gave way to the closer in Emily Raubach. She continued to shut down the Lady Eagles, going 3.2 innings, allowing just one hit in this pivotal game.
Honestly, it feels great to be able to come in and help my team however," said Raubuch, who has gone 2-0 in the tournament. "I don't get my bat in the lineup, so to be able to go out on the field and take control for them and calm them down, just means everything for me."
Hineline said about Raubuch's effort in both games, "Emily has been our go to pitcher off the bench. She throws strikes and the ball moves. She makes hitters have to work real hard to get the base hit."
Fletcher followed, "Emily is the best closer I have seen in a long time. She comes in at the right time and does the right things. You can't replace that. She brought this whole team up on her back and carried us to the win."
The Bears defense got it done the rest of the way. After NCCU's Kendall Smith flied out to
Mia Ewell on the warning track, the celebration began as the Lady Bears advanced to Saturday afternoon's MEAC Championship game against their crosstown rival Coppin State.
This is only the second time in MEAC history that these two teams will meet for a title and an NCAA Championship bid in any sport. Last time this happened was in the men's basketball tournament final in 2008 when Coppin defeated the Bears 62-60 at the buzzer.
The Battle of Baltimore, softball edition begins tomorrow at noon in Norfolk, Va. on ESPN+. The twist for Morgan State is that it must win two games in order to clinch their second ever MEAC title.
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified
high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 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.
