WASHINGTON (March 18, 2025) – Howard University softball team (9-14) fell, 1-0, to the Hofstra Pride (3-19) Tuesday morning at National Youth Academy.
 
On the mound, Mia Gonzales (Atwater, Calif.) set a strong tone for the Bison, opening the midweek matchup with a strike right down the middle.
 
After a scoreless two innings, the Bison began to pick up momentum in the bottom of the third, posting two base hits. Sensing the Bison getting warmed up, the Pride picked up the pace in the top of the fourth when Hofstra's Mackenzie Fitzgerald slid into home on a wild pitch after hitting a double and getting to third on a ground out for a 1-0 advantage.
 
On the mound, HU switched out Gonzales for MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Preseason Pitcher of the Year Julia Holt (Tucson, Ariz.), who made quick work of the Pride with the first batter striking out swinging.
 
First Team All-MEAC duo of Sidney Fletcher (Whittier, Calif.) and Lealani Ricks (Madera, Calif.) got the final two outs to end the top of the fifth in three up, three down fashion.
 
HU continued to hold the Pride at bay with quick infield passes and hot pitching down the middle. Holt notched two more strike outs in the sixth.
 
After joining the lineup in the previous inning, senior catcher Alyssa Vasquez (Eastvale, Calif.) posted the final hit for the Bison in the bottom of the seventh with a single down the left line.
 
The Bison return to conference play with a three-game series (March 22-23), kicking off the weekend with a doubleheader against South Carolina State on the road at 1 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.