BOWIE, Md. - The Bowie State softball team will play host to Virginia Union on Saturday, Apr. 15 and Virginia State on Sunday, Apr. 16 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) division series this weekend at the BSU Softball Field on the beautiful campus of Bowie State University.

WHERE: Bowie, MD (BSU Softball Field)
WHEN: Saturday, Apr. 15 vs. Virginia Union (2 PM and 4 PM) | Sunday, Apr. 16 vs. Virginia State (12 NOON and 2 PM) - SENIOR DAY
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
VIDEO: Bulldog Sports Network
FOLLOW: @BSU_Sports_Info on Twitter, @bowiestatebulldogs on Instagram

SENIOR DAY
Bowie State will recognize five seniors prior to the start of Sunday's twinbill against Virginia State. The following seniors are first baseman Brittany Brewer, catcher Breanna Harvey, shortstop Aseyah Alexander, outfielder Shanya Gordon and outfielder Taylor Skinner.

THE SERIES VS. VIRGINIA UNION
The Bulldogs are 18-9 against the Lady Panthers of VUU since 2009 and post a 8-2 record in the last 10 matchups. BSU defeated VUU in the season series last year, 5-4 and 6-2 in Richmond, Va. Bowie State is 8-4 at home against Virginia Union entering Saturday's doubleheader.

THE SERIES VS. VIRGINIA STATE
BSU and VSU have had a share of winning streaks against one another since 2009. The Bulldogs hold a slight 15-14 edge against the Trojans entering Sunday's games. In the last 10 matchups, Bowie State is 3-7 but won the last outing between the two where that victory punched the Bulldogs ticket to the conference title game in which BSU would fall to Claflin in 2022. Prior to that 6-5 win over Virginia State on May 7, the Bulldogs had lost seven straight to the Trojans.

LAST TIME OUT
Bowie State suffered two setbacks on the road at Millersville, 11-2 and 8-4 in non-conference action Wednesday. The losses snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Bulldogs who had not lost since Mar. 19 against Goldey-Beacom (7-6). In the opener, BSU gave up eight runs in the bottom fifth that provided the run-rule for the Marauders. Offensively, the Bulldogs were paced by sophomore Ellianna Henneberg, who went 1-for-2 with a double. Freshman Trinity Mizelle put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 1-for-1 with an RBI while sophomore Lindsey Geroge (8-5) took the loss. 

After trailing 3-2 in the second inning, Millersville plated three runs in the third and two in the fourth as the deficit became too much for a Bulldog comeback in the nightcap. Junior Akirra Pullen (8-5) took the loss in the circle. Sophomore Jayla Hill led the way offensively for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a home run and an RBI. Sophomore Sydney Edmond furnished a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-2 with a double while freshman Alaysia Ross also chipped in, going 2-for-2 for Bowie State with an RBI.

BOWIE STATE LEADERS
Bowie State ranks seventh as a team in batting (.290) but leads the league in pitching with an ERA of 3.22. Defensively, the Bulldogs are fourth in the standings with a fielding percentage of .939. Sophomore Kayla Evans is the leagues leader in runs scored (32), George is second in hits (31), Hill has a CIAA-best 30 runs batted-in, and second in doubles (7) while Pullens is the CIAA leader in home runs (7).

CIAA WEEKLY HONORS
Following a non-conference doubleheader last week, the Bowie State softball team picked up two weekly awards as Pullen earned Pitcher of the Week and Ross was named the Rookie of the Week announced by the CIAA Tuesday afternoon.Pullen started in the circle and picked up the win for Bowie State (25-11) who defeated Salem Friday afternoon, 8-4 in the opening contest. The right-hander went 4.1 innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, allowing no walks and striking out one. The Baltimore, Md., native is tied with her teammates and sophomores Karen Fritges and George with eight wins apiece for the most wins in the circle this season, 34 strikeouts on the year (6th in the CIAA) and an ERA of 3.11 (8th CIAA).

Ross pitched well, going one shutout inning without allowing a hit, walking one and striking out two against Salem in the Bulldogs win against the Tigers, 10-2 during the nightcap on Friday. 

VIRGINIA UNION
VUU (2-17) is currently in sixth place in the North with a 0-2 record and 2-6 in the CIAA. The Lady Panthers are atop in the league for batting average as a team (.356) but eighth in fielding (.909). VUU has a pair of players leading the CIAA in hitting  and on base percentage in Lianna Gonzalez and Arianna Burford. Virginai Union fell to Elizabeth City State back on Apr. 2 by the scores of 13-10 and 17-5 at home.

VIRGINIA STATE
The Trojans (7-13) are 3-3 in the CIAA and 2-0 in the North. VSU defeated Shaw, 11-5 and 3-2 on Mar. 31. Virginia State is fourth in the league with a team batting average (.300), pitching (4.53 ERA) and fifth in fielding with a .931 fielding percentage. Macy Beville is second in the conference for fielding (1.000) - she has 40 putouts on 47 total chances and seven assists.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Bowie State will hosts in home and non-conference finale of the regular season against Frostburg State on Wednesday, Apr. 19 at 2 p.m.

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.