Softball | 3/12/2015 9:00:00 AM

Box Score WASHINGTON, DC --- Playing in their first game of the season in DC, senior Al'Asia Davis and the Howard softball team (3-16) held on for a thrilling 5-4 victory over the University of Maryland Baltimore County on Wednesday evening.

Davis broke a seventh inning tie with a two-run RBI single to put Howard ahead for good after the Lady Bison took an early lead.

The game, which was moved from Baltimore to the District because of field conditions at UMBC, proved to be an exciting way to christen Howard's new home field, Washington Nationals Jr. Park  - even as the Lady Bison played the contest as the visiting team.

HU took the lead early with a three-run opening inning. The Lady Bison drove in the first two on back-to-back RBI singles. Junior Dominique Lawrence hit the first to bring in senior Briana Banks while sophomore Milan Poindexter hit the second one to send sophomore Imani Ballard home.

The final run of the inning came on a double steal by Lawrence and redshirt junior Jasmine Gammons. With Gammons on first, Lawrence on third and sophomore Deja Henderson up to bat, Gammons swiped second and Lawrence successfully crossed home plate.

After UMBC (2-9) failed to score in the bottom of the inning, both teams kept each from scoring for the next three innings.

The Retrievers finally scored in the bottom of the fifth by matching Howard's steal of home with one of their own and tied the game in the sixth with a two run RBI single.
With one more chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh, the Lady Bison capitalized quickly. Freshman Brooklyn Emory and sophomore Rejanae Brooks each hit singles to begin the inning, setting up Davis' heroics.

UMBC would make the bottom of the seventh interesting after drawing a pair of walks and recording a RBI single on their first three at-bats. However, junior Janessa Flynn – who was pulled off the mound for sophomore Alexa Walker and re-entered when Walker failed to record an out – retired three batters in a row after the Retrievers' score to close out the game.

Howard's seven hits were logged by seven different batters, led by Davis, who was 1-of-4 with her pair of RBIs.

All four of the Lady Bison's stolen bases came from the duo of Gammons and Lawrence, who swiped a pair each.

Flynn went 7.0 innings, logging one strikeout while giving up four runs, six hits and three walks.

NEXT UP: The Lady Bison will travel to North Carolina for a three-game series with Elizabeth City State University from March 17-18.