Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BOWIE, Md. – Senior Adria Lewis belted a pair of home runs to help lead the Bowie State Lady Bulldogs to a home opening split against Virginia State. The Lady Bulldogs lost game one by a score of 5-1 but earned a huge 8-7 extra inning victory in game two over the Lady Trojans. With the split Bowie State improves its record to 5-19 overall (4-7 in the CIAA / 1-5 North).   PHOTOS
 
Lewis, freshman Stefanie Ray (Damascus, Md.) and junior Cassandra Clayborne (Damascus, Md.) tallied three hits each over the two-game set while senior Kiara Washington (Bowie, Md.) and junior Erica Atkins (Burtonsville, Md.) recorded a pair of hits apiece.
 
Virginia State got on the scoreboard first in game one in the top of the 2nd inning, plating three on three hits. The big hit in the inning came via a two RBI triple by DeMone Brickhouse (Southampton, Va.). Brickhouse scored herself following a wild pitch to give the Lady Trojans a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Lady Trojans added two more runs in the top of the 3rd inning courtesy of a two RBI single by Janay Joseph (Eastern Shore, Va.) to push the Virginia State lead to 5-0.
 
Bowie State managed only three hits in the opening game with Clayborne, Ray and Atkins accounted for those. The Lady Bulldogs lone run of game one was by Clayborne via a wild pitch by VSU's Jessica Mattia (Accokeek, Md.) in the bottom of the 6th inning.
 
Mattia (9-2) went the distance in game one for Virginia State striking out nine.
 
The tables turned in the favor of Bowie State in game two with the Lady Bulldogs taking the early 2-0 lead. Clayborne led off the Lady Bulldogs' share of the first with a single, stole second and third and scored on passed ball.  An Atkins sacrifice fly and error by the VSU catcher allowed Ray to score.
 
Virginia State cut the BSU lead in half in the top of the 3rd inning when Jamesha Smith (Halifax, Va.) scored on an error.
 
Bowie State responded with three hits in the half of the third to extend the Lady Bulldogs lead to 5-1. The biggest hits came off the bats of Lewis, Hernandez and Atkins. Lewis blasted a solo homer and the Hernandez/Atkins duo followed with doubles which sent Virginia State starting pitcher Marissa Hughes (Upper Marlboro, Md.) to the bench.
 
VSU took advantage of three BSU errors in the 4th and pounded out four hits in the 5th frame to knot the score at 5-all. The 5th inning also marked the end of the day at pitcher for BSU's Megan Windsor (Upper Marlboro, Md.).
 
Bowie State's Ray led off the bottom of 5th inning with a single down the left field line and Lewis followed with her second home run of the game to give the Lady Bulldogs a 7-5 lead.
 
The Lady Trojans (12-6 / 12-2 CIAA / 5-1 North) countered with two runs of their own in the top of the 6th inning when Jamesha Smith recorded a two-run homer to even the score at 7-7.
 
Neither team pushed a run across in the 7th inning sending the game into extra innings using International rules.
 
Virginia State's Sade Holmes (Caroline County, Va.) started the 8th inning on second and advanced to third on a single through the left side of the Bowie State defense. Fortunately for Bowie State, that's as far as Holmes would get.
 
Bowie State's Hayley Flint (Mesa, Ariz.) got the free pass to second to begin the Lady Bulldogs half of the inning due to the International Rules in play. A Washington single sent Flint to third and Clayborne was served up four straight balls by Mattia to load the bases. Freshman Victoria Lizardo struck out swinging for the first out of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Ray stepped up a placed a single to right field, pushing Flint across the dish for the winning run in the night cap.
 
BSU's Lewis paced the home team with three hits and three RBI while Hernandez (3-9) picked up the win in the circle.
 
Jamesha Smith, Jamilia Smith (Halifax, Va.) and Alexandra King (Annandale, Va.) combined for 10 of Virginia State's 15 hits in game two.
 
The Lady Bulldogs will host Virginia Union on Thursday (4/3) in another CIAA division matchup beginning at 1 pm.