WASHINGTON (February 24, 2019) - The Howard University softball team defeated the University Of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Kangaroos, 4-3, on Sunday, February 24, to cap off the ASU Black & Gold Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Bison trailed 1-0 in the early parts of the game before a four-run outburst in the fourth inning. Xzarria Simmons opened the inning with a walk and came around to score on an RBI double by Mackenzie Soper. Maxie Harrington, who served as a pinch runner for Soper, scored as Sienna Herrera reached on an error. Kalita Dennis drove in the final two runs for the Bison in the fourth inning on a double to right field.

Dennis went 3-for-3 in the game, falling just a home run short of hitting for the cycle. Sunday's win concluded another productive week for Dennis at the plate. The Howard freshman went 10-for-16 and drove in four runs during the tournament.
Pitcher Mackenzie Steele earned the victory for the Bison against the Kangaroos, allowing just three runs over seven innings. Steele started three of the five games over the weekend, striking out 14 batters.

The win on Sunday served as the lone victory for the Bison during the tournament. They lost their first game to the Kangaroos on Friday, 7-0, before getting their redemption at the last game.

The Bison lost their three other games to Grambling State, Presbyterian College and Alabama State University. Despite their defeats, their 5-4 loss against Alabama State University symbolized improvements for this Bison ball club. The Bison lost to the same Alabama State team 10-1, on February 9.

"We played our best weekend of softball this weekend. We cleaned up a lot of things defensively and won more innings than we had in previous weekends," said Howard Softball head coach Tori Tyson. Commenting on the team's improvements, she added, "The scores alone show our growth in just two weeks. We played another great game of softball against a good UMKC and this time we played a full seven innings of softball and that was a goal for us. It feels good to be going home with another win against a nonconference opponent."

With a 3-11 record, the Bison will travel back to Washington, D.C., for the Georgetown Tournament from March 2-3.

About Howard University Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 19 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent six conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA), Sun Belt Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. Visit www.hubison.com to learn more.