WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a rare non-conference matchup of CIAA foes, the Bowie State Bulldogs softball team lost a pair to Winston-Salem State's Rams by scores of 9-0 and 14-5 on Friday (3/30) afternoon.
 
The Bulldogs totaled 12 hits over the twinbill and four Bowie State players tallied two each while four others accounted for one hit each. Seniors Ja'seph Smith (Bowie, Md.), Tiffany Bearns (Lusby, Md.) Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.) and Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) recorded a pair of hits apiece to lead Bowie State.
 
Of Bowie State's other four hits, freshmen Morgana Johnson and Morgan White, both of Baltimore, Md. along with junior Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.) and senior Lindsey Fenner (Havre de Grace, Md.) were responsible for one hit each.
 
Winston-Salem State had eight hits in game one compared to just three hits the Bulldogs. Samantha Gibbs led Rams in the opener with two hits in three at bats and added two RBI.  Erica Davis (3-8) earned the pitching win and struck out four over five innings.
 
The Bulldogs trio of Ochoa, Belt and Johnson were the only three players to get a hit in game one. Ochoa (4-9) pitched four innings for Bowie State and recorded two strikeouts. Errors were a negative stat for the visitors as the Bulldogs were judged with three.
 
Game two featured some terrific offense by both teams, but in the end, the Rams had more than the Bulldogs. The key to Winston-Salem State's game two win were two big innings. WSSU held a 1-0 lead after the first inning and put together a seven run on five hits third inning for an 8-0 advantage. Three of those third inning runs were unearned due to a trio of Bowie State errors.
 
The Bulldogs offense came alive in the next two innings as the Bowie State Bulldogs pushed five runs across the dish. With two outs, in the top of the fourth, White singled to right and Ochoa followed with a homer.
 
Bowie State's defense set Winston-Salem State down in order in the Rams share of the fourth inning. The Bulldogs began the fifth inning with three straight singles, one of which was bunt to the pitcher that scored Pickering and Bearns on throwing error by the Rams first baseman. A sacrifice fly to right by Fenner pushed Smith across the plate to trim the Rams lead down to just three runs at 8-5.
 
However, the Rams answered with six fifth inning runs, including four runs scored on RBI singles and a solo home run to seal the 14-5 win.
 
The Bulldogs tallied nine hits in game two with Pickering, Bearns and Smith leading the way with two hits each. Junior Morgan Powell (Upper Marlboro, Md.) pitched just her second game of the season and took the loss in the circle to even her record 1-1.
 
Bowie State University (7-12) will step back out of conference play for its next contest, hosting East Stroudsburg University in doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. at Bulldogs Field.