March 14, 2007
Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, MD - The Howard University softball team cruised to a pair of wins over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Wednesday afternoon in the Lady Hawks' home opener. The Lady Bison won the MEAC decisions 21-0 and 11-0, respectively, and improve to 9-9 on the season. The loss drops UMES to 1-5 (0-2 MEAC).
Howard out hit the Hawks 31-4 on the afternoon and committed just two errors compared to 11 by the maroon and gray. In game two of the doubleheader, UMES kept things close with Kristen Greenwood (1-2) giving up just two hits in the first two innings of play. Howard picked things up in the third inning however, and capitalized on two Hawk errors. The Lady Bison scored three runs on three hits that inning as Tracy Javier, Brianne Gutierrez and Courtney Young all crossed the plate for HU.
The Lady Bison tacked on five more runs in the fourth with Javier, Gutierrez and Sukai Curtis-Contreras each picking up an RBI.
Jaleesa Lewis and Mishayla Truttman each picked up a hit for UMES in the contest. Shakeyah Habib led the squad in putouts with nine, while Kendra Saunders finished with a team high three assists.
In game one of the doubleheader, Howard took advantage of several Hawk miscues with Young and Dale McNeal each scoring on a wild pitch in the second inning. McNeal's double also scored Fallon Jones and gave the Bison a 3-0 lead after two.
The Bison picked up five runs on five hits in the top of the third, spurred by a single by Gutierrez that scored Young and Javier. Aimee Macatangay crossed the plate off a McNeal single, and Sondra Jones later scored McNeal with a center field hit. An error by Truttman allowed Jones to cross the plate before Christina McCoy ended the inning with a groundout to Tiana Strother.
Four Hawk miscues in the fifth inning led to 10 runs on seven Bison hits. McNeal picked up the win for HU in the contest while Truttman fell to 0-3 with the loss.
UMES got a hit from Greenwood and Habib in the five inning outing.
The Hawks will look to rebound this weekend at the Hampton Lady Pirate Classic, March 17-18 in Hampton, Virginia.
