Softball goes 2-1 in Orangeburg, SC.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

Orangeburg- The start of the 2014 softball season was an interesting one for the Maroon & White, not only did they play under first time Head Coach Nakeya Hall for the first time, but they also had to face her alma mater and the program she left to become an A&M Bulldog.

The Lady Bulldog softball team opened their season in the 2014 Hampton Jordan Tournament hosted by Claflin University. The tournament would see the Maroon & White take on competition from five programs, most notably the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University.

The tournament would take place over two days, with A&M playing three matches on Friday and two on Saturday.

"Today was exciting overall, it's my first year as a Head Coach and the first games of the season. Although we played in the fall, you get to get a feel of what you're working with from here on out," mentioned coach Hall.

First pitch of the season went to starter Meaghan Gray who pitched all seven innings in a 7-5 loss. A&M opened scoring in the second inning when Ashley Gonzales doubled to score Gray. The one run inning began a scoring frenzy that would see both teams score four runs each in the three innings, before things cooled off in the scoreless fifth with the Maroon & White leading 5-4.

A&M was unable to record a run in either of the remaining innings, while their counterpart produced a three run sixth inning which ultimately gave them the 7-5 victory.

Anisa Britt was the only Lady Bulldog to record multiple hits (2) on the day; she added one RBI in four at bats. Meaghan Gray took the loss as A&M fell to 0-1 on the season.

Despite opening the year with a loss, the Lady Bulldogs did not lose focus, and immediately bounced back for their second game of the day versus Bluefield State University.

"We dropped the game to South Carolina State, but showed tremendous heart with the next two games that we played and we bounced back really well," Hall recalled.

The same game saw the Maroon & White increase their offensive production, and step up their defensive play. A&M took a small amount of time to warm the bats before exploding in the third inning. The Lady Bulldogs batted all the way around to the top of the order, recording two walks, four hits, one reach via error and five runs. Anisa Britt started the infectious hitting with a solo homerun as the inning's second batter.

A&M went on to an 8-0 run-rule victory after scoring additional runs in both the fourth (2) and fifth (1) innings.

Britt led the way offensively tallying two runs, two hits and one RBI on four at bats. She also captured the win in the circle as A&M improved to 1-1 on the day.

Game three versus Fayetteville State saw AAMU firing on all cylinders. The Maroon & White had little trouble as they cruised to a 16-5 victory. After falling behind 1-nil in the first, hot bats helped A&M, turn it around for the better.

Hitting was contagious, and it was for the Lady Bulldogs in this third game. A&M recorded 17 total hits in five innings of play. Freshmen Chelsey Ferguson and Haylee Moran-Rowen led the way hitting a combined 9-9. Ferguson was 4-4, including two triples, four RBIs, and three runs scored, while Rowen was 5-5 including two RBIs and two runs scored.

"I commended my team on the effort we put out offensively. Three games combined for the day we had 29 runs, most teams don't score that by the middle of their season. That's huge for us. If we can keep swinging the bats well and minimize on runs allowed, I think we will be fine," Hall stated.

Back to back five or more run innings (6 in third, 5 in the fifth) was just too much for the North Carolina visitors to handle.

The Maroon & White finished the day 2-1, recording 29 runs on 34 hits. They will return to the field tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. versus Clark Atlanta University weather permitting.

"I'm just excited for the rest of the season. Once we get a couple more players healthy that will just add to what we can do for the remainder of the year," smiled Hall.

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