ORLANDO, Fla. (February 10, 2024) – The Howard University softball team (2-3) split its final day in the Sunshine State, 1-1, starting with a 10-0 run rule win over Seattle (1-2), followed by a 4-1 loss to Georgia State (2-1).
The victory over the Redhawks served as a monumental win for the program as it is the first win over a WAC (Western Athletic Conference) opponent in conference history.
HOWARD 10, SEATTLE 0
Junior pitcher Mia Gonzales (Atwater, Calif.) highlighted the win, throwing her second career complete game shutout, allowing only two hits across 18 batters faced.
The Bison started the scoring early when junior Alyssa Vasquez (Downey, Calif.) tripled to right center, allowing newcomer Bianca Worthy (Goodyear, Ariz.) to make it home, 1-0.
HU tripled the score in the second when third-year Bison Sidney Fletcher‘s (Whittier, Calif.) bomb to right center brought two across the plate.
The third frame went scoreless as the Bison left one on base and the Redhawks went three up, three down.
Howard notched another run in the fourth, converting junior Lealani Ricks‘ (Madera, Calif.) hit to third into a 4-0 score.
The Bison sealed the deal with an explosive six-point run in the fifth. With bases loaded, Seattle’s Naomi Chaidez (Anaheim, Calif.) walked rookie Bria Finley (Buford, Ga.), forcing fellow classmate Merci Hart (Los Angeles) across home plate, 5-0. A ground out to shortstop gave freshman Wisdom Colbert (Jacksonville, Fla.) time to post her first career run, 6-0. Returning to bat, Fletcher hit out to right field, registering her fourth RBI, 8-0. Worthy hit to right field immediately after to keep the charge going, 9-0. Hart closed it out with a shot to left center. The Seattle defense managed to get one more out, but Worthy finished the play crossing the plate.
The last chance for the Redhawks fell short as they went another frame with zero hits across three batters.
GEORGIA STATE 4, HOWARD 1
Transfer Jordin King (Pomona, Calif.) started in the circle and faced nine batters, giving up three runs. Sophomore Julia Holt (Tucson, Ariz.) made her appearance in relief and pitched the last four innings, yielding four hits with a strikeout.
Georgia State (GSU) opened the scoring in the second, marking the Panthers’ first run off a single down the left line. GSU notched two more in the from a single up the middle, 3-0.
Howard answered back in the top of the third with a hit down the right line for Worthy’s second RBI of the day, 3-1.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, GSU plated its fourth and final run on a throwing error, 4-1.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Bison return to action February 16 at 2 p.m., when they face Prairie View A&M in the HBCU Invitational in Covington, Ga.
Source/Image: Howard Athletics