Hampton, Va. – The Lady Pirates of Hampton University overcame a four-run second inning deficit to earn a 13-5 victory over visiting Howard in game one of a MEAC softball doubleheader, but the Lady Bison rebounded to capture the finale by a score of 10-7.  Only game one counted in the conference standings and therefore the Lady Pirates remain unblemished in league play.

 

Trailing 1-0 in the first thanks to a throwing error by catcher Semplecia Scott, the Lady Bison scored five runs in the top of the second behind three hits and two Hampton errors.  With Howard already in front 3-0, Candice Tatum completed the rally with a two-run double to center field scoring Tracy Javier and Sukai Curtis-Contreras and giving the Lady Bison a 5-1 advantage.

 

Hampton (25-9, 10-0 MEAC) responded in the bottom half of the second with seven runs of its own, despite recording just three hits.  An error and several wild pitches by Howard starter Christina McCoy accounted for three Hampton runs and Ashley Weissenbach drove in another with an RBI single to left.  Jennifer Gonzales added a two-run double to left-center and Jada Jeffries scored off of a popup by Amanda Black. 

 

Black (15-4) held the Lady Bison scoreless for the remainder of the afternoon and offensively the Lady Pirates put five more runs on the board with Jeffries accounting for three of them with an RBI single and a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth.

 

A grand slam by Fallon Jones capped a five-run fifth inning for Howard (26-15, 9-3 MEAC) in game two as the Lady Bison took a 7-2 lead.  However, Gonzales blasted a two-run homer, while Angela Balser and Black each drove in another run to cut the Howard lead to 7-6 heading into the final inning.

 

Yet the Lady Bison added three insurance runs in their final at bat, securing the 10-7 victory despite another solo shot from Gonzales, her team-leading eighth of the year.