CLEARWATER, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2025)--The Morgan State softball team opened the season this morning in the prestigious National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Leadoff Classic against Notre Dame and handed the Irish a 5-4 loss in the opener at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
 
The win was Morgan State's first-ever against a member of the newly constructed Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Notre Dame (0-1) entered the contest with a RPI ranking of 66^th, while Morgan State (1-0) was 183^rd.
 
Playing in the Leadoff Classic for the first time in program history, the Lady Bears jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.  
 
Morgan State would maintain its three-run advantage until the top of the fifth inning when the Irish scored three runs to even the score at 3-3. The Irish then added a run in the top of the sixth to pull ahead 4-3, its first lead of the contest.
 
However, the lead would be short-lived, as the Lady Bears responded with two runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning, which proved to be the difference to give Morgan State the 5-4 victory.
 
Rylee Hyde singled on a bunt and advanced to second on an error on the third baseman which allowed both Cassie White and Alison Keener to score the go ahead runs for the Lady Bears.  
 
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Player of the Year and MEAC first-team pitcher and utility selection, Victoria Fletcher went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. MEAC third-team selection Keener also went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run.
 
Hyde, White, Morgan Harrell-Alvarez, Gianna Ettore all recorded a hit to help Morgan hold an 8-6 hit advantage over the Irish.
 
Fletcher (1-0), who would get the win for the Lady Bears, pitched the final three innings, surrendering three runs on three hits and no walks. She would throw a total of 50 pitches with 31 of them for strikes.
 
Notre Dame was led by Sydny Poeck, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Kami Kamzik, who entered the game in the first inning, pitched 4.0 innings and allowed two hits, four walks and struck out a game-high six batters in four scoreless innings of work.
 
Morgan State will have the short turn around as it will take on another ACC opponent when it faces Pittsburgh, scheduled for 1 p.m. The Panthers were dealt a 7-0 loss in their season opener to Kentucky this morning.
 
 
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.