BOWIE, Md. - The No. 1 seed Bowie State Bulldogs advanced to the 2023 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Softball Semifinal and will face No. 4 Virginia State on Friday, May 5. The single game will start at 10 a.m. at the RF&P Park in Glen Allen, Va.

All semifinal and the championship games will be played at the at RF&P Park. The other two teams that made it to the semifinals feature No. 2 Claflin versus No. 3 Winston-Salem State with a first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m. 

WHERE: Glen Allen, VA (RF&P Park) | 3400 Mountain Road Glen Allen, VA 23060
WHEN: Friday, May 5 at 10 AM
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VIDEO: Click HERE
TOURNAMENT BRACKET: Click HERE
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THE SERIES
Bowie State and Virginia State have had a share of evenly matched contests between the two. Although the Bulldogs swept the season series by scores of 9-1 and 6-1 in Bowie, Md. BSU holds a 17-14 record against VSU since 2009. The two teams also met in the 2022 CIAA Championships with the Trojans defeating the Bulldogs 10-5 but Bowie State responded with a 6-4 victory during the secodn game to advance to the conference championship.

HOW THE BULLDOGS GOT HERE
Senior Akirra Pullen dealt against VUU, throwing a three-hit shutout to lift the Bulldogs (32-13) over VUU, 3-0. Pullen (11-7) went the distance for Bowie State (32-13), giving up three hits, walking none and striking out four. Sophomore Morgan Joseph led the way offensively for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with a triple. 

The Bulldogs took the lead for good in the third, scoring for the first time in the inning. Joseph came across to score the lone run of the inning for Bowie State and get them on the board. BSU then tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth innings, with their biggest output coming in the sixth when they scored one time.

ALL-CONFERENCE BULLDOGS
Seven Bulldogs were named to the CIAA All-Conference Team announced by the league office Tuesday. George was named the CIAA Player of the Year and First Team All-CIAA. Additionally, sophomore Brittany Brewer, junior Akirra Pullen and sophomore Jayla Hill all joined George on the First Team ballot while graduate senior Aseyah Alexander, sophomore Kayla Evans and freshman Trinity Mizelle all grabbed Second Team recognition.

VIRGINIA STATE
The Trojans (12-17) made it to the semifinals with a shutout victory (8-0) over No. 5 Fayetteville State on Tuesday in Ettrick, Va. VSU took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning before plating a pair of runs in the second and third. Virginia State outhit its opponents 14-0 in route to the five-run rule win.

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