RALEIGH, N.C. – The Bowie State University softball team opened the season on Friday (3/4), dropping a pair of games at the Shaw Challenge.  The Lady Bulldog started the day with a 9-1 loss to Queens University of Charlotte and was defeated 4-1 versus Clarion in the nightcap.
 
Sophomore Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.) garnered three hits over the two games to lead Bowie State offensively and four other Lady Bulldogs added one hit each on Friday.
 
Senior Danielle Watt (St. Leonard, Md.), sophomores Stefanie Ray (Damascus, Md.) and Emily Lewis (Aberdeen, Md.) along with freshman Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.), recorded one hit each against Queens. Watt was responsible for Bowie State's lone run in the top of the fourth inning courtesy of a solo homerun.
 
Sophomore Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) went 5.1 innings in the circle for the Lady Bulldogs, allowing 12 hits and walked three.
 
Lyndey McCurry and Ashton Whitaker led the Royals with three hits apiece and Sydney Ditto added a pair of hits in the win. Whitaker paced Queens with three RBI while Taylor Rosenbalm recorded two RBI.
 
Evie Scott picked up the victory for Queens, striking out five and walked three in 3.2 innings.
 
In the nightcap, Pickering led the Lady Bulldogs with a pair of hits and scored Bowie State's only run versus Clarion. Lewis and Belt tallied one hit apiece against Clarion while Ray took the loss on the bump, going seven complete innings and allowed nine hits, struck out six and walked three.
 
Paige Baker came up a home run shy of the cycle against the Lady Bulldogs and plated Christina Tressler with an RBI three-bagger in the sixth inning.  She scored the first run of the game for the Golden Eagles; trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Hoffman brought Baker home on an RBI double to tie the score at 1-1.  Sarah Gossard scored the go-ahead run in the fifth, leading off the inning with a single and coming around on a double from Marissa Peterson.
 
Baker finished the nightcap 3-of-4 at the plate, while Peterson went 1-of-4 with the double and the RBI.
 
Rachel Hoffman threw a complete-game, one-run effort in the evening game against the Bulldogs, allowing just three hits while striking out three.  She allowed her lone run in the first inning of the game but shut down Bowie State for the remainder.