BALTIMORE, Md. (March 8, 2026)--The Morgan State softball team picked up its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, following a 5-2 victory over the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in Game 1 of a doubleheader at The Diamond at UMBC. The host Retrievers, then claimed an 8-2 victory in the second game to even the series.

The win was the first at Morgan State for first-year head coach Melisa Shock. The victory also ended a seven-game losing skid to UMBC, giving Morgan State its first win over the Retrievers since a 6-1 home victory on March 10, 2018.

The doubleheader marked the Lady Bears' (1-11) return to the field after two days of cancelations to the UMBC Round Robin #2 due to poor field conditions from the weather.

The originally scheduled three-day tournament turned into a three-game series between the two Baltimore programs, beginning with Sunday's doubleheader. The rubber match will take place on Monday, March 9 at 4 pm.

Game 1
In the opener, Alison Keener finished 2-for-3 with two runs and Tonya Marks went 1-for-3 with a run and 2 RBI in the win. Millie Cousins (1-4) picked up the win, surrendering two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings pitched. Serena Rodriguez secured her first save of the season.

Marks broke open a 1-1 game in the top of the fourth with her two-run double hit to right center to give the guests a 3-1 lead.

Gianna Ettore's RBI single scored Keener and then Marks also scored on several throws to extend the Morgan lead to 5-1.

UMBC (3-7) got a run back in the seventh inning when Abbie Frisvold singled through the right side to score a run for the final score.

Game 2
Morgan State jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Hunter Newman homered to left field in the first inning.

UMBC responded with three runs in the bottom third when Taylor Nicholson doubled to left center to score two runs. Nicholson would later steal home to put the host in front 3-1.

The Retrievers added two more runs in the third to increase the lead to 5-1 and led 6-1 in the fourth after a homerun by Nicholson.

Morgan got back on the board in the fifth when Millie Cousins doubled to left center to score Olivia Pagano for the Lady Bears' second run of the game.

UMBC added a run each in the fifth and sixth inning for the 8-2 win.


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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.