NORFOLK, Va. (March 18, 2023) - Howard University softball put on a show for the cameras, picking up its eighth win of the season.
 
The Bison started the conference slate off strong, defeating Norfolk State (NSU), 7-4, in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN+, but falling short, 9-1, in game two.
 
The Bison sit 8-14 (1-1 MEAC) on the season while the Spartans move to 9-11 (1-1 MEAC).
 
HOWARD 7, NORFOLK STATE 4
 
HU racked up seven runs on 10 hits, led by second-year Bison Alyssa Vasquez (Downey, Calif.) going 4-of-5 with a pair of doubles in the win.
 
Howard set the tone early, capitalizing on its first at-bat.
 
With runners on the corners and one away, sophomore Victoria Brown (Carson, Calif.) grounded out to second, giving teammate Lealani Ricks (Madera, Calif.) time to cross the bag. The Spartans did not fare as well, sending up three at the plate just for first-year Bison Amelia Weber (Montclair, Calif.) to sit down.
 
The Bison made easy work of the Spartans in the second and third innings, only facing three Spartans each before sending them back to the dugout.
 
Eager to join the Bison on the board, Norfolk State saw its first scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fourth when Gilbreath hit a two-run homerun, giving NSU a 2-1 lead, but the advantage did not last long.
 
Sophomore Alyssa Watson (Eastvale, Calif.) registered an RBI-fielder's choice, bringing home Ricks for her second run of the day.
 
Keeping the Spartans at bay in the fifth, Howard's offense exploded in the top of the sixth with five runs; thus, taking hold of a 7-2 advantage.
 
The Spartans attempted a comeback in their half, posting two runs and cutting the margin to three, 7-4.
 
With one more attempt in the bottom of the seventh, NSU went three up, three down to close out the game with an HU victory.
 
Weber threw heat through 5.1 innings, earning her second victory of the season.
 
HOWARD 9, NORFOLK STATE 1
 
In the nightcap, HU was held to only one run on three hits.
 
After two scoreless innings to start out game two, scoring picked up in the third.
 
Vasquez doubled to left field to get her second RBI of the day when sophomore Jade Greene (Upper Marlboro, Md.) crossed the bag.
 
After falling on the only televised game of the day and already down one run, the Spartans were hungry for runs of their own.
 
NSU's Gabby Vaughan doubled to left center, bringing two Spartans home. Pitch-running for Vaughn, Norfolk State's Victoria Taylor crossed the bag two pitches later when Potter singled to center field.
 
Up 3-1, the Spartans held the Bison off in the top of the fourth before tacking on another three runs in the bottom – two coming off ground outs to first.
 
NSU kept Howard scoreless while picking up runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, finishing with a 9-1 win.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
The Bison are back in action tomorrow morning (March 19) at 11:30 a.m., as they close out the NSU series in Norfolk, Va. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
 
For more information visit the Bison athletics website at www.HUBison.com.


Derek W. Bryant, Howard Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations & Sports Information, contributed to this story.