HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team split its doubleheader against rival Howard at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium on Friday, winning the second game 10-2 in five innings after falling 6-3 in the first game.
 
The Lady Pirates are now 10-16 overall and 3-2 in MEAC play.
 
Howard took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the second game, but Hampton answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Senior Diamond Ponds and junior Danielle Budden both had bunt singles to lead off the inning, before each advanced on a passed ball.
 
Ponds then scored on a single from freshman Hope Sobelewski, before Budden and Sobelewski both scored on a single down the left field line from senior Taylor McCoy.
 
Hampton led 3-1 after one inning.
 
The Lady Pirates picked up another run in the bottom of the second; after sophomore MacKenzie Wise walked and advanced to second on a sac bunt, Ponds doubled to left field to bring her home and give Hampton a 4-1 lead.
 
Meanwhile, sophomore Jada Fields set the Bison (5-19, 1-1 MEAC) down in order in the second, third, and fourth innings.
 
Hampton broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, pushing across four runs. Wise began the frame with a leadoff single, before freshman Sarah Kollas brought her in with a double to the gap in left center. Ponds followed with a double of her own, and Kollas scored on a sac fly from Budden.
 
Sobelewski then singled home Ponds, before Fields doubled Sobelewski home to put Hampton up 8-1.
 
Howard cut the lead to 8-2 with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Lady Pirates answered with two runs in the fifth to invoke the run rule. Singles from Wise and Ponds set up Budden, who brought both home with a double to left center.
 
Ponds went 4-for-4 at the plate, while Budden, Sobelewski, McCoy, Fields, and Wise each had two hits. Budden drove in a team-high three runs, and Sobelewski had two RBIs.
 
Fields struck out two and gave up just four hits in picking up her fourth win of the season.
 
The Lady Pirates held a 2-0 lead after three innings in the first game of the doubleheader; Hampton scored a run in the bottom of the first on a single from Fields that scored Ponds, and went up 2-0 in the third when a single from McCoy brought in Sobelewski.
 
But the Bison erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth inning, taking advantage of two errors and recording five base hits in taking a 6-2 lead. Five of the six runs in the inning were unearned.
 
An RBI single from McCoy in the bottom of the seventh cut the lead to 6-3.
 
Ponds had three of the Lady Pirates' nine hits in the first game, while Sobelewski and McCoy each had two hits. Taylor drove in two runs.
 
Freshman Allie Hotetz struck out a season-high eight.
 
The three-game set will wrap up Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium. For more information on Hampton University softball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.