HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University softball team cranked out 11 hits in Saturday's series finale against Howard at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium, taking a 9-1 win in five innings.
 
The Lady Pirates improved to 11-16 overall and 4-2 in MEAC play.
 
The offense got jump-started in the bottom of the third, when senior Diamond Ponds led off the inning with a bunt single and stole second. She later stole home when freshman Hope Sobelewski stole second, giving the Lady Pirates a 1-0 lead.
 
Sobelewski then scored on an RBI single from senior Taylor McCoy, who later scored on a double from sophomore Jada Fields to give the Lady Pirates a 3-0 lead.
 
Fields then scored on a single up the middle from sophomore Lorena Alvarez, before Alvarez came home on an opposite-field triple from sophomore MacKenzie Wise and put Hampton up 5-0.
 
The Bison (5-20, 1-2 MEAC) went down in order in the top of the fourth, before the Lady Pirates pushed across four more runs in the bottom of the frame. Sobelewski and McCoy both singled to open the frame, and Sobelewski scored the first run of the inning when Fields reached on an error.
 
Alvarez then tripled to right field, bringing in Fields and McCoy and giving Hampton an 8-0 lead.
 
Wise then singled home Alvarez to put the Lady Pirates up 9-0.
 
Howard avoided the shutout in the top of the fifth after Alex Flynn hit a solo home run to right field, but the Bison only had four hits in the game.
 
Ponds, McCoy, Alvarez, and Wise each had two hits for the Lady Pirates, and Alvarez drove in a team-high three runs. Fields and Wise each had two RBIs.
 
Freshman Allie Hotetz struck out three in picking up her fourth win of the season.
 
The Lady Pirates will play their next seven games on the road, starting with a doubleheader at Liberty on Thursday. 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.