BALTIMORE (March 26, 2023) – Howard University softball split Sunday afternoon's doubleheader at Coppin State (CSU). The Eagles rallied to take game one, 6-4, but HU bounced back in the nightcap with an 11-3 victory in six innings.
 
The split moves Howard to 9-16 (2-3 MEAC) on the season while the Eagles drop to 4-13 overall (1-4 MEAC). Due to Saturday's inclement weather, the rubber match is scheduled for Thursday (April 13) at 3 p.m.
 
HOWARD 11, COPPIN STATE 3 (f/6)
 
In the nightcap, HU pounded out 11 runs on 17 hits with five Bison registering multi-hit performances. Junior Sydni Jones (Whittier, Calif.) had a career-day, going 4-of-4 with five RBIs (career-high) in the victory.
 
Coming back with a vengeance, the Bison opened game two up in a big way by attacking the pitcher.
 
With one out on the board, sophomore Lealani Ricks (Madera, Calif.) successfully bunt singled to the pitcher. Then, with a 0-1 count against her, second-year Bison Victoria Brown (Carson, Calif.) followed up with a single back to the pitcher. Next up, with only one out on the board, graduate Kalita Dennis (Elk Grove, Calif.) doubled down right field, bringing Ricks home and taking an early 1-0 lead.
 
With runners on the corners, sophomore Sidney Fletcher (Whittier, Calif.) drilled a two-run double to right field, bringing two more Bison home while extending the margin, 3-0.
 
Keeping the ball rolling, second-year Bison Alyssa Watson (Eastvale, Calif.) bunt singled to the pitcher to make her way to first base before stealing second on the next pitch.
 
With two runners in scoring position, Jones' bat was hot - sending both Watson and newcomer Kelyse Stewart (Lee's Summit, Mo.) back in the dugout for a healthy 5-0 lead going into the second. 
 
Brown widened the gap, 6-0, with an RBI-single to right field in the second before holding the Eagles off at the bottom of the inning.
 
Howard continued to create separation in the third, sending another Bison across the bag with an RBI-single from sophomore Alyssa Vasquez (Downey, Calif.), 7-0.
 
In the bottom half, with one out on the board and runners on second and third, the Eagles had an opportunity to get on the board, but swiftly slipped away with back-to-back outs.
 
HU continued its crusade in the fourth, posting two more runs to pull away, 9-0, before an easy three up, three down in the bottom of the inning. 
 
In the bottom of the fifth, CSU found a way to keep the game alive with a triple to right field and a poor throw from the infield helped the Eagles get two on the board. Down, 9-2, the Eagles posted another run on a sac fly to close the gap 9-3. 
 
The opportunity to end it in five now behind them, the Bison were ready to close it out. Jones notched her fourth hit with a two-run single through the right side, bring home second-year Bison Payton Quinonez (Tulare, Calif.) and rookie Maryn Jordan (San Diego), 11-3.
 
HOWARD 4, COPPIN STATE 6
 
In Game One, Brown led the Bison attack with a 2-of-4 performance.
 
After making easy work of the Eagles in the bottom of the first, Fletcher and Brown set the scoring stage for Howard with both hitting singles, fairing to the right. Fellow second-year Bison Jade Greene (Upper Marlboro, Md.) singled to left field, bringing home two for a quick 2-0 lead over CSU. 
 
The Bison held the Eagles off in the third with batters striking out to starting pitcher freshman Amelia Weber (Montclair, Calif.). Weber proved to be the biggest obstacle for Coppin State throughout the first two innings.
 
The Eagles seized an opportunity to set the stage when a ball sent to center field by CSU's Brooklyn Tapusoa slipped out of the reach of Watson, giving her time to advance to third. The Eagles followed up with an RBI-single to left field to get on the board. 
 
Not letting Coppin State get any closer, the Bison kept the Eagles at bay in both the fourth and fifth innings. In a big play to close out the latter, CSU lined out to Greene at third, and, with quick precision, she successfully went for the double play.
 
The pace switched up in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs on the board, Coppin State sent an Eagle to the nest and tied the contest, 2-2. Two runners in the infield, a wild pitch opens it up to load the bases. First-year Eagle Celeste Gonzales approached the plate and hit her first inside-the-park homerun of the season and gave CSU a 5-2 lead.
 
Runners on first and second, Coppin saw their final run in the bottom of the sixth off a single to center field, bringing one more runner home, 6-2.
 
In their final at-bat, the Bison scored twice, but the comeback would fall short, 6-4.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
The Bison are back in action Thursday, March 30, when they host the Hofstra Pride at 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.