BOX SCORE

(PINE CREEK, Del.) A four-run Bowie State rally in the top of the first inning set the tone as the Lady Bulldogs ran away with a 6-1 win over the Goldey-Beacom College softball team in its home opener Wed. afternoon at Churchman-Sawin Field.

Today's contest was supposed to be a doubleheader, but the second game was called off due to darkness after 2 ½ innings of play.

Bowie State (3-4) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead by using one hit, two walks and two Lightning errors in the inning. BSU senior Annette Makle (Brandywine, MD, Gwynn Park) drove in three with a deep shot to left field that was dropped by a Lightning outfielder.

The Lightning (4-3) tried to rally in the bottom of the third inning when, with two outs, senior leadoff batter Lauren Witzke (two hits, one RBI) tripled to bring in sophomore Jordan Waterloo. But with two outs, sophomore Shannon Graves scorched a line drive right at BSU's third baseman, Makle who made a nice snag to record the final out and end the Lightning threat.

The Bulldogs tallied an insurance run in both the fifth and seventh innings to secure the 6-1 victory.

Sophomore pitcher Shannon O'Hara (0-1) took the loss as she allowed seven hits, six runs (one earned), three walks and struck out six in seven innings of work.

Senior Faline Brown (Inwood, W.Va., Hagerstown C.C.) (2-2) picked up the win for BSU's Lady Bulldogs while allowing four hits, one earned run and no walks while striking out seven. Junior Danielle McClay (Silver Spring, MD, Montgomery Blair) and senior Kelley Alexander (Damascus, Md., Covenant Life, Montgomery College) led Bowie State with two hits each, while Makle knocked in game-high three RBI.

Bowie State returns to the diamond – Friday (March 12), facing Chowan University in the Lady Bulldogs' first of six games of the three-day CIAA Round-Up in Raleigh, N.C.