The Lady Bison held their home opener against the Lafayette Leopards. They won the first game 4-3, and lost the second game 10-6. 

The Lady Bison came out the gates swinging, scoring all of their runs in the first inning. Sophomore Brooklyn Emory hit the first home run of her career when she crushed a 3-run home run to center field to make the score 4-0 in the bottom of the first. 

Lafayette scored 3 runs in the third inning due to good hits and stolen bases but the Lady Bison held them off the rest of the way. The Leopards attempted a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning but a 5-2-3 double play helped Howard get out of the inning. Senior Janessa Flynn gained her third win of the season pitching five innings, throwing out four, and walking none. 

In the second game, both teams hit the ball well early with Howard scoring 3 runs in the first inning and Lafayette scoring 5 runs in the second inning. Senior Dominique Lawrence hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull the Lady Bison within one after Lafayette scored 2 runs in the same inning. However, that would be as close as Howard gets as Lafayette scored 3 more runs in the seventh inning to close out the game. 

The Lady Bison head to rival Hampton University this weekend and despite the record, they feel positive going into conference play. 

This isn't new for the Lady Bison, as they were in a similar position last season.

Senior Jasmine Gammons stated, "We usually start off kind of rough, but I feel like we've been progressing well these last couple weeks". The schedule is one of the reasons the team is not worried going into conference play. "We've played some really tough non-conference teams and I feel that it has built up our confidence heading into conference play," added Gammons. 

The Lady Bison have been dealing with injuries all season, which can contribute to the slow start. Young players such as true freshman Alannah Baiyina and redshirt freshman Tiyanna Stewart have been asked to step up and fill the void due to those injuries. Senior pitcher Janessa Flynn understands the effect that has had on the team, stating "injuries have affected everything, but I believe the players that have been asked to step and fill those roles have done a great job."