GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE
(BOWIE, Md.) Columbia Union College had no answer for red hot Bowie State University as the Lady Bulldogs sweep the Lady Pioneers 11-1 and 9-1 in non-conference softball action. Bowie State improves to 26-6 on the year with one regular season game remaining at Division I Howard University - Wednesday, April 29th at 2 p.m.
Columbia Union (4-24) missed a great opportunity to put pressure on the three-time CIAA Champions in the top of the first inning. CUC’s April Ridenour led off the game with a single. Erin Wright reached on a fielder’s choice but forced Ridenour out at second for out number one. Kelsey Wright singled to third, advancing Wright to second. Christina Smith stepped and fouled out to the catcher. The Wright girls moved up 60 feet on a passed ball and Lauren Decker walked to load the bases. Fortunately for Bowie State, Rebecca Zanelotti lined out to third to end the inning with three Lady Pioneers on base.
BSU’s Lady Bulldogs put the visiting Lady Pioneers away early in game one, putting nine runs on the scoreboard in the first inning. Bowie State punished Columbia Union pitching (Zanelotti), sending 13 batters to the plate and pounding out nine hits.
Jenna Pickel began the second inning with a single through the left side of the Bowie State infield and later scored Columbia Union’s lone run. Pickel’s run was courtesy of a single to left field by Ridenour.
Sophomore
Annette Makle (Brandywine, MD, Gwynn Park) opened inning three with a hard shot to third. Two batters later, Junior
Kelley Alexander (Damascus, Md., Covenant Life, Montgomery College) belted a two-run home run to account for Bowie State’s final runs on game one. Freshman
Shanae Smoot (Bel Alton, Md., LaPlata) led Bowie State with a game-high three hits in the opening game of the twin bill. Seniors
Tiffany Toney (Abilene, TX, Abilene Cooper, The University of Oklahoma ) and
Tricia Corbin (Glen Burnie, MD, Old Mill) along with Alexander added two hits each in the game victory.
Columbia Union scored first in game two when Kelsey Wright singled in the second inning, scoring Ridenour. Ridenour reached base on a single and advanced to second via the stolen base. Bowie State quickly responded in their half of the second, scoring four runs on four hits. Smoot grounded out to the pitcher and senior
Heather Enders (Glen Burnie, MD, Old Mill) followed that with a single to deep left field. Senior
Ashley Cook (Port Republic, Md., Calvert, College of Southern Maryland) blasted her ninth homer of the season, scoring Enders. Toney was responsible for BSU’s other two runs in the third after hitting a double which scored sophomore
Danielle McClay (Silver Spring, MD, Montgomery Blair) and junior
Faline Brown (Inwood, W.Va., Hagerstown C.C.).
Bowie State scored one in the third and another run in the fifth inning before ending the game early in the
bottom of the sixth inning. Leading 6-0 after five, Bowie State senior
Virginia Hockey (Bowie, MD, Mount Saint Mary's University) reached first and advanced to second after a dropped fly ball by the Columbia Union center fielder. McClay sent a rocket through the left side of the Columbia Union defense, moving Hockey to third. Toney grounded out, moved McClay to third and scored Hockey on the play. Corbin hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring McClay from third. With Bowie State leading 8-1 and one run away from the 8-run mercy rule for the 19th time this season, Alexander hit her ninth home run of the year to close out game two.
Cook and Alexander paced BSU with a pair of hits apiece in game two. Cook and Toney tied for game-high RBI honors with three each.