GLEN ALLEN, Va. – The No. 3 seeded Bowie State softball team fought hard against top-ranked Claflin University (21-13) but fell 5-2 in the 2022 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference Championship at the RF&P Park Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before scoring two runs in the fifth. The Lady Panthers went on to score two unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh for the 5-2 win over the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs tallied just five hits and two RBIs, led by graduate senior Aseyah Alexander (Silver Springs, MD) who went 2-2 and an RBI while freshman Brittany Brewer (Savage, MD) tallied the Bulldogs’ other RBI on 1-2 appearances at the plate.
Claflin gathered the three runs in the third inning capped off by a single and two RBIs from Jaelyn Jackson.
Facing a 3-0 deficit after four complete innings, the Bulldogs got within reach of the Lady Panthers in the fifth when Alexander singled to allow teammate freshman Lindsey George (Fayetteville, GA) to come home. Brewer followed with a double to bring home Alexander before Claflin picked up the next two outs on a strikeout and a flyout to centerfield.
The Lady Panthers added one run in the bottom of the fifth on a passed ball and again in the sixth on a sacrifice fly to left field that extended their lead 5-2 over Bowie State. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to rally in the sixth or seventh, going three-and-out in both innings.
George dropped to 6-7 on the year, tossing 2.2 innings and striking out two batters.
Bowie State concludes the 2022 season with a 24-20-1 record, CIAA Runner-Up Champions, and Northern Division Champions while reaching a 20-game winning season for the first time since 2017.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.