BOX SCORE

(PETERSBURG, Va.) Bowie State University held off a feisty Johnson C. Smith University team, edging the Lady Golden Bulls 5-3. The win improves Bowie State's record to 22-20 while Johnson C. Smith falls to 14-22 overall.

Bowie State lit the scoreboard up first in the bottom of the third inning but Johnson C. Smith responded with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.

After a scoreless fifth, the BSU Lady Bulldogs pushed back in front with a three run on four hit sixth inning to give the three-time defending CIAA Champions a little breathing room at 5-2.

However, JCSU's Lady Golden Bulls would not go away quietly. Pitcher Alllycia Watanabe helped her on cause, hitting a single to right center to lead off the seventh inning. Alexis Webb followed with a walk, advancing Watanabe to second with no outs.

Bowie State senior pitcher Faline Brown (Inwood, WV, Musselman, Hagerstown C.C.) struck out Johnson C. Smith's next batter but Mauranda Elliot reached first on an error, advanced all the way to third on another error and was eventually thrown out at third in a rundown for out number two. While all this was happening, Webb scored but Watanabe was also out on the play via a rundown between third and home.

Kawehionapau Chan and Watanabe accounted for two hits each to lead Johnson C. Smith. As a team, Johnson C. Smith totaled six hits on the afternoon but Lady Golden Bulls pitching walked six and struck out none.

Bowie State was led by Brown, senior Kelley Alexander (Damascus, Md., Covenant Life, Montgomery College) and junior Shalai Tabor (Waldorf, MD, Delaware State Univ.) with two hits apiece. Brown recorded her 14th victory of the year and tied her season-high single game strike out mark of 10.

One other glaring statistic was runners left on base. Johnson C. Smith left three stranded while Bowie State left 11 on base

BSU's Lady Bulldogs advance to Friday's (April 16) semifinal against the Chowan Hawks. Game time for Chowan versus Bowie State is 12:30 p.m. and will be played on the VSU campus.