GAME 1 BOX SCORE          GAME 2 BOX SCORE

(BOWIE, Md.) Virginia State and Bowie State tallied 14 hits apiece as the Lady Trojans and Lady Bulldogs split a pair of divisional contests. Bowie State took game won 5-1 and Virginia State held off Bowie State in game two, winning by a score of 9-6.

Sophomore Amanda Ray (Damascus, MD, Damascus) led Bowie State with a total of four hits. Fellow sophomore Justine Smith (Silver Spring, MD, James Hurbert Blake) recorded three hits in the doubleheader, which included her first collegiate homerun in game two. 

Virginia State (18-13, 13-4 CIAA, 9-1 North) was paced by Sharron Lipford with a game-high four hits for the Lady Trojans. Dominique Johnson and Brittani Pittman also had a productive day at the plate, adding three hits each. Lipford and Johnson led the visitors with three RBI apiece.

Game one saw Bowie State take a 1-0 lead after the first inning before Virginia State tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second inning. Virginia State's Mikia Noble was responsible for that ran, scoring on a passed ball.

Bowie State scored one run in the third, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to close out the opener.

Ray had three of her total four hits in the opening game and scored two runs. BSU's other three runs were all scored by Smith.

Freshman Mariela Hernandez (Del Rio, TX, Los Fresnos) picked up her seventh pitching victory of the season, striking out seven and gave up four hits.

Sophomore Megan Alexander (Damascus, Md., Damascus) was given pitching responsibilities for the Lady Bulldogs in the nightcap, holding Virginia State scoreless in the top of the first inning of game two.

Smith led off the Bowie State portion of the first with a single to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch by VSU's Jessica Mattia. A single by Ray moved Smith over to third. Following a stolen base by Ray, Smith scored on a throwing error by the Virginia State catcher, giving the home team a 1-0 lead.

Virginia State took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third and pushed five across in the fifth inning to take a somewhat comfortable 7-1 advantage. In the process of Virginia State's bats coming alive, BSU's Alexander was lifted and replaced by Hernandez. Alexander went 3.1 innings, allowed six hits and walked four.

With two out in the fifth inning, VSU's Pittman doubled down the right field line. Lipford followed that with a double of her own, scoring Pittman and giving the Lady Trojans an 8-1 cushion.

Bowie State scored two in the bottom of the fifth on a two out homerun to left center by McClay, trimming the Lady Bulldogs deficit to 8-3.

BSU freshman Adria Lewis (Cumberland, MD, Fort Hill) led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a walk. Sophomore Kristen Lee (Germantown, MD, Northwest) stepped to the plate and belted her first career homer, scoring Lewis as well and cut the Virginia State lead to 8-5.

A Lipford triple in the top of the seventh inning scored Pittman, giving the Lady Trojans a little more breathing room at 9-5.

Bowie State made it very interesting in the bottom of the seventh, even though they scored only one run. Smith reached on an error then advanced to second on a wild pitch. McClay doubled which scored Smith. With two outs, McClay advanced to third on a wild pitch and Lewis reached first via a walk. Freshman Renelle Traylor (Hayward, CA, San Lorenzo) stepped to the dish as the potential tying run, but struck out swinging to end the game.

McClay led Bowie State in game two with two hits and three RBI. As a team, the Lady Bulldogs had a total of six hits in the nightcap.

Virginia State's Lipford went four-of-four in game two and tied for team-high RBI honors with three. Johnson accounted for three hits and three RBI.

Mattia went the distance for Virginia State, striking out nine and walked just two.

Bowie State returns to the field Tuesday (April 12), hosting a non-conference doubleheader against the Lady Marauders of Millersville University at 2:30 pm. The Lady Bulldogs get back into conference play Wednesday (April 13) against the Hawks of Chowan University at 1 pm.