WASHINGTON (April 5, 2025) – Howard University softball (16-17, 10-1 MEAC) continues to plow through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), clinching their fourth series of the season with Saturday afternoon's 6-0 and 9-1 wins over Delaware State (17-16, 5-6 MEAC).
 
GAME 1
 
Mia Gonzales (Atwater, Calif.) posted her second win on the season after striking out eight batters in the complete game.
 
Gonzales opened the afternoon with a strike as the Hornet at bat swung and missed. The Bison made quick work at the top of the inning with three consecutive outs.
 
HU took full advantage of the bottom half, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Senior Kenna Higa (Honolulu) was first on base after getting hit by a pitch. Higa ran it home two pitches later, thanks to a sac bunt from Angel Riggins (San Diego).
 
Standout Alyssa Vasquez (Eastvale, Calif.) crossed the plate less than a minute later on a throwing error to the catcher for the 2-0 advantage.
 
After a scoreless second inning, sophomore catcher Merci Hart (Los Angeles) extended the upper hand, 4-0, with a hit over the left field fence for her first career homerun.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, first-year Bison Lauryn Jones (Denton, Texas) posted Howard's fifth run as she touched the plate while the catcher caught the throw midair above her, 5-0.
 
Sophomore Wisdom Colbert (Jacksonville, Fla.) made it another one run inning in the fifth when she crossed the plate – beating a bad throw, 6-0.
 
GAME 2
 
After keeping the Hornets in their nest through the top of the first, HU lead batter Higa made it on base again off the first pitch. Three batters later, the Hawaii native opened the scoring crossing the plate for a 1-0 lead.
 
In a scoreless second inning, the Hornets went down in a three-up-three-down fashion with reigning MEAC Pitcher of the Week Ameenah Ballenger (Lansdown, Pa.) striking out the last two batters.
 
After another quick three-batter half, the Bison upped the score once again when Vasquez hit a double to center field, giving time for Jones to make it a 2-0 board.
 
At the bottom of the fourth, Vasquez more than doubled the score with a three-run RBI-triple deep to center field, 5-1. Hart followed up with a hit to right field, just out of reach of the sliding Hornet in the outfield, allowing Vasquez time to run home from third, 6-1.
 
In a double play to close the top of the fifth Sidney Fletcher (Whittier, Calif.) made a diving catch as the ball sailed over the third baseman's gloves before throwing the runner out at second. The Bison continued their charge in the bottom of the fifth, tacking on three more runs to close the game in five innings.
 
The Bison marked their 10^th game with double digits hits this season, capitalizing on 11 hits compared to the Hornets' three.
 
Ballenger posted her fifth win of the season, striking out three Hornets in the feat.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Next up, the Bison close out the Delaware State series Sunday April 6 at 3 p.m., at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.