NORFOLK, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team saw its season ended on Friday afternoon, dropping a 5-1 decision against Howard in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Hawks conclude the 2023 campaign with a 14-30 overall record, going 8-10 in conference play throughout the regular season. With the win, Howard advanced to face Coppin State later in the afternoon.

The two starters, Ameenah Ballenger for the Hawks and Mia Gonzales for Howard, dueled throughout the opening innings. Through four frames, neither side was able to push a run across.

That changed for the Bison in the fifth, who scored four in the frame. They tacked on one more in the sixth.

UMES plated one run in the final frame but failed to produce any further late drama.

Kelsie Ekstrom, Ballenger and Katelyn Smitchko each picked up a base hit in the loss. Nola Mountain drew the lone Hawk walk and Ah-Nayia Oglesby swiped a bag as well.

Howard's Gonzales (10-12) earned the win, allowing one run across 6.1 innings of work with two strikeouts.

Ballenger (8-15) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs and striking out a pair of Bison. Smitchko appeared in relief, allowing one run in 1.1 frames of action.

Stay tuned for a full recap of the 2023 season coming soon at https://easternshorehawks.com/.