BOWIE, Md. - The Bowie State University softball team played its home opener on Tuesday afternoon and split a doubleheader with East Stroudsburg University, claiming 3-2 victory in game one but were shutout in game two by a score of 15-0.
 
Juniors Lindsey Fenner (Aberdeen, Md.) along with Ja'Seph Smith and Jacqueline Pickering, both of Bowie, Md., led the Bulldogs of Bowie State with two hits each over the two-game set.
 
Bowie State's Bulldogs scored the first run of the game in bottom of the first inning following a double by junior Inaya Jones (Baltimore, Md.) scoring Pickering. The score was tied 1-1 entering the fifth inning of the opener until ESU's Heather Visco hit a two-out RBI double in the top-half of the third scoring Kaylee Kazewski.
 
East Stroudsburg's Kendra Barlotta pinch-ran for Madison Vicendese after Vicendese was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the fifth inning. Barlotta stole both second and third base, and she crossed home on a passed ball to make it 2-1.
 
RBI hits by Jones and sophomore Megan Visele (Great Mills, Md.) helped the Bulldogs rally with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to shift the advantage back over to Bowie State at 3-2. The Warriors put two runners on in their final trip to the plate, but were unable to push across the tying run.
 
Junior Stefanie Ray (Damascus, Md.) (2-2) allowed one earned run on six hits in a complete game victory for Bowie State. Mary Wallick (1-2) struck out five over six innings of work for East Stroudsburg, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.
 
East Stroudsburg (2-5) scored in every inning of Game 2, totaling 17 hits and six stolen bases in the victory. Danielle Wissinger broke the game open in the fourth, as her grand slam capped off a six-run frame for the visitors which upped the score to 11-0.
 
Wissinger also drove in runs with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, a triple in the third and a two-run single in the fifth.
 
Hazewski finished the contest 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Vicendese added three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs from the leadoff position. She went 5-for-7 with a HBP across the two games.
 
Six ESU players ended Game 2 with multiple hits, as Heather Visco, Katherine Liedberg and Barlotta added two hits apiece. Barlotta also drove in her first two runs as a Warrior.
Rachel Liguori (1-2) tossed a one-hitter against Bowie State, facing the minimum possible number of batters, as Wissinger threw out Bowie State's Smith attempting to steal second after reaching on a one-out single in the bottom of the first.
 
Bowie State (2-5) will return to the field on Friday (3/10) against Mercyhurst University at 3 p.m. as part of the Salem (Va.) Invitational. In total, the Bulldogs are scheduled to play five games (Friday-Sunday).