BOWIE, Md. – Bowie State University split a key Northern Division home doubleheader against Virginia Union University on Friday afternoon, winning 4-2 in game one but lost the nightcap 10-3 at Jericho Park Field.  PHOTO GALLERY
 
With the split, the Bulldogs' division record sits at 3-1, 5-5 in CIAA play and 8-13 overall. The BSU women combined for 16 hits in two games.
 
In the first game, the Bulldogs tallied seven hits, which included three doubles, and senior pitcher Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) gave up six hits and struck out six going all seven innings. Ochoa and junior Tiffany Bearns (Lusby, Md.) led Bowie State with a pair of hits each. The other hits in the opener came off the bat of senior Ja'seph Smith (Bowie, Md.) and juniors Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.) and Morgan Powell (Upper Marlboro, Md.).
 
The Bulldogs led the Lady Panthers 1-0 after the first inning before Virginia Union's Shontel Linnette scored the first visitors run via a wild pitch in the top of the second.
 
Bowie State pounded out five hits in the third inning to extend its lead to 4-1. Powell led off the third with a double to center and scored from second after a successful bunt single by Ochoa. Ochoa stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.). Three straight singles with the last coming from Belt, pushed Bearns across the plate.
 
Virginia Union (9-6, 4-4 CIAA, 1-1 North) scored their final run of game one in the top of the fourth inning with Breana Miller scoring during a double play run down.
 
Miller was Virginia Union's top hitter in the opening game, recording two hits in thee at bats. As a team, the Lady Panthers had six hits with Linnette taking the loss in the circle.
 
Virginia Union jumped out to 3-0 lead at the top of the first inning of game two, but Bowie State closed the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the first.
 
The Panthers bats came alive in the second inning, scoring seven runs on six hits ending Powell's day after 1.1 innings. Six of those runs were charged against Powell (1-2) leaving the Bulldogs in a 10-2 hole after two complete innings.
 
The Bulldogs got one run back in the bottom of the third following a sacrifice fly to deep left field by Bearns, scoring Smith who began the inning with a bunt single. However, the deficit was too deep for the home team to overcome.
 
Senior Lindsey Fenner (Aberdeen, Md.) paced the Bulldogs with two hits while seven other BSU players were responsible for one hit apiece in the game two setback.
The Bulldogs are schedule to host Virginia State's Trojans in a division doubleheader on Sunday, April 8 with first pitch at 2 p.m.