RALEIGH, N.C. – The Bowie State University softball team knocked off Johnson C. Smith University (7-2) and Fayetteville State University (5-3) on Thursday at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex.

Game one saw Bowie State jump out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning, but JCSU quickly cut the Bulldog lead to 3-2 when Melissa Vierra (Tracy, Ca.) led off with a double to left center. Breanna Archibald (Wendell, N.C.) would drive Vierra home when she doubled down the left field line.  Another double from Victoria Lopez (San Diego, Calif.) brought Archibald around to cut the lead to 3-2.

Bowie State would score four runs in the fourth inning, thanks to a triple and two doubles to take the 7-2 lead that would stand the rest of the way, as JCSU would only manage two hits over the final three frames.
 
Freshman Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.) and sophomore Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.) paced the Lady Bulldogs in the opening game with three hits each. Sophomore Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) went the distance (seven innings) in the circle to earn the win.
 
The Lady Bulldogs wasted no time in game two, plating three runs in the first inning to take a 3-0 advantage.  Fayetteville State timed the Bowie State lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second when, following a Kyrin Walker (Carthage, N.C.) single, Maggie Smith (Fayetteville, N.C.) singled to center, scoring Walker.

FSU's Lady Broncos would score two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, pounding out five hits in the frame to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Bowie State stranded two runners in the top of sixth inning and held Fayetteville State scoreless in their share of the inning.
 
BSU's Belt opened the seventh inning with a single through the right side of the FSU defense. Pickering grounded out to third, advancing Belt all the way to third on throw. Freshman Tiffany Bearns (Lusby, Md.) drilled a double to deep center field, scoring Belt and shifting the advantage back over to Bowie State at 4-3. Senior Danielle Watt (St. Leonard, Md.) poked a single to shallow right field that pushed Bearns across the dish for a 5-3 lead.
 
Fayetteville State had one more opportunity in the bottom of the seventh inning. HaLee Knowles (Wallace, N.C.) reached via a base on balls and Alex White (Fayetteville, N.C.) entered the game as a pinch runner for Knowles. Brittany Freeman (Fayetteville, N.C.) stroked a single to left but Knowles made to wide of a turn at second and was thrown out on the play. Carley Green (Fayetteville, N.C.) lined into a double play to end the game, sending the Lady Broncos to the losers bracket.

Bowie State will be back in action on Friday (4/29) afternoon, facing Winston-Salem State University at 12:30 p.m. in winners bracket play at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex.

2016 CIAA Softball Tournament Results/Schedule
Thursday, April 28
Game 1 – N1 Chowan def. S4 St. Augustine's, 3-2 (8 innings)
Game 2 – S2 Winston-Salem St. def. N3 Virginia Union, 11-2 (5 innings)
Game 3 – S1 Fayetteville St. def. N4 Virginia St., 7-5
Game 4 – N2 Bowie St. def. S3 Johnson C. Smith, 7-2
Game 5 (Elimination Game 1) – N3 Virginia Union def. S4 St. Augustine's, 7-3
Game 6 (Elimination Game 2) – N4 Virginia St. def. S3 Johnson C. Smith, 10-4
Game 7 – S2 Winston-Salem St. def. N1 Chowan, 3-2
Game 8 – N2 Bowie St. def. S1 Fayetteville St., 5-3

Friday, April 29
Game 9 – (Elimination Game 3) S1 Fayetteville St. vs. N4 Virginia St., 10:00 a.m., Field 4
Game 10 – (Elimination Game 4) N3 Virginia Union vs. N1 Chowan, 10:00 a.m., Field 2
Game 11 – S2 Winston-Salem St. vs. N2 Bowie St. 12:30 p.m., Field 5
Game 12 – (Elimination Game 5) Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9, Field 3, 12:30 p.m.
Game 13 – (Elimination Game 6) Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11, Field 5, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 30
Game 14 (Championship Game 1)- Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 13, Field 1, Noon
Game 15 (If Necessary) Loser Game 14 vs. Winner Game 14, 30 minutes after game 14, Field 1