LONGWOOD, Va. (May 4, 2025) – Howard University softball team closed out the regular season with a doubleheader sweep at Longwood (LU). HU won game one, 5-2, followed by a 4-1 victory in the nightcap.
GAME 1 – Howard 5, Longwood 2
Junior pitcher
Julia Holt (Tucson, Ariz.) got the starting nod and tossed nearly a complete game. The Arizona native went 6.2 innings with three Ks in the win.
After two scoreless innings, HU scored twice in the third to take a 2-0 advantage.
Bottom four, LU cut the margin to one after an RBI-double, 2-1.
Next inning, senior
Alyssa Vasquez (Eastvale, Calif.) delivered a two-run single to right field to extend the lead, 4-1. Moments later, fellow classmate
Sidney Fletcher (Whittier, Calif.) drove in second-year Bison
Wisdom Colbert (Jacksonville, Fla.) to take a commanding 5-1 advantage after five.
Longwood battled back in the seventh with an RBI-single, but the comeback bid would fall short, 5-2.
HU mustered five runs on five hits with Fletcher and Vasquez each recording two RBIs in the victory.
GAME 2 – Howard 4, Longwood 1
After one, Howard jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the nightcap.
Next inning, senior
Lealani Ricks (Madera, Calif.) registered an RBI-single to left field, bringing home sophomore
Elise Michelin (Long Island, N.Y.), 3-0.
Rookie standout
Lauryn Jones (Denton, Texas) scored on a throwing error in the seventh, giving the Bison a comfortable 4-0 advantage.
LU avoided the shutout with an RBI-single in its final at-bat, 4-1, but graduate pitcher
Ameenah Ballenger (Lansdown, Pa.) ended the rally for her 10
th win of the season.
BISON NOTES
Howard defeated Longwood for the first time in program history after Sunday's twinbill sweep, dating back to 2005.
HU has won 18-of-its-last-19 contests, dating back March 29 (only loss: at Maryland [April 29]).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Howard (28-18, 20-1 MEAC) heads to Norfolk, Va., for the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Tournament, taking place May 7-10. The Bison open play Wednesday, May 7 at 8 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.