Sportsday 03.24.18

Bowie State Bulldogs Bowling Wins Fourth Consecutive CIAA Championship

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – For the fourth time in as many years, the Bowie State University women’s bowling team captured the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Bowling Championship at the AMF Lynnhaven Lanes on Saturday (3/24) afternoon.

In addition to this being BSU’s fourth straight CIAA Crown, it is the eighth overall in school history. The endurance on the lanes paid off for the 2018 Champions as they went undefeated during championship play; earning them an automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Bowling Championship.

The lanes became heated when Bowie State and Fayetteville State met yet again, this time in the Championship match. On day one (3/23), Bowie State knocked Fayetteville State into the loser’s bracket, so the Broncos were ready for revenge. This time the Bulldogs knew not to take the Broncos lightly, but the match continued to the full seven games.

After Bowie State started out strong with a 196-116 victory in the first game, Fayetteville State countered with three big wins in the next three games with 161-152, 187-171 and 157-146 victories. The next game was a blowout by the Bulldogs winning 172-121. Both the sixth and seventh games came down to the tenth frame and both games the Bulldogs finished strong (163-152 and 170-161) to take home the 2018 CIAA Bowling Championship.

The final day of CIAA bowling competition began with Round Four of the double-elimination, championship bracket. The I-95 rivals, No. 4 Virginia State and No. 3 Virginia Union fought through six games, and with a 4-2 result, the Trojans of VSU continued their journey in the loser’s bracket. They then faced the No. 1 Broncos of Fayetteville State, but were soon knocked out of the tournament after the Broncos took an early 3-0 lead (175-135, 151-135, 199-159). VSU was able to capture the fourth game 174-164, but FSU soon closed the match in the fifth with a score of 159 to 128.

Following the Championship match the 2018 CIAA Bowling Championship awards ceremony consisted of honors for the first (BSU), second (FSU) and third (VSU) place teams, the All-Tournament Team and the Championship MVP.

The All-Tournament Team consisted of Ariel Haith (Virginia State), Amaree Durfee (Virginia Union), Baylee Lexton (Chowan), Diamond Carter (Bowie State) and Savannah Sterling (Fayetteville State). Bowie State’s Diamond Carter was also named to MVP of the Championships.
 

Bulldogs Softball Routs Elizabeth City State 14-1 and 20-1
Gregory Goings
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Bowie State University softball pounded out 23 hits in Saturday’s (3/24) CIAA doubleheader at Elizabeth City State University, routing the Lady Vikings 14-1 and 20-1. With the sweep, the BSU Bulldogs improve its overall mark to 5-8, 4-4 in the league and open division play at 2-0.

Senior Lindsey Fenner (Aberdeen, Md.) had a perfect day at the plate, getting four hits in four at bats and knocked in four RBI over the doubleheader. Senior Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.) and junior Tiffany Bearns (Lusby, Md.) racked up a team-high five hits each. Pickering accounted for seven RBI and hit her first home run of the season. Of Bearns’ five hits, two were doubles and she ranked second on the team in RBI with four. Senior Ja’seph Smith (Bowie, Md.) was second on the team in RBI against the Lady Vikings, contributing five.

After scoreless first inning of game one, Bowie State plated two in the 2nd inning and broke things open in the top of the 3rd inning, scoring 10 runs on nine hits to take a comfortable 12-0 advantage over Elizabeth City State. The Bulldogs added a run in the 4th and 5th innings for a 14-0 cushion.

Asia Spruill doubled down the left field line in the bottom of the 5th inning, scoring Trini Harris for the lone run of the game for the ECSU Vikings.


Senior Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) pitched all five innings, striking out one and faced just 18 batters, improving her record on the bump to 3-6.


Bowie State wasted no time in game two, scoring eight runs in the opening inning on just four hits and were never in any danger for the rest of the game.

The Bulldogs pushed three across the dish in the 2nd inning for an 11-0 cushion but the Lady Vikings got one back in the bottom of the second when Taylor Jones scored on a wild pitch.

Pickering began the 3rd inning with a double to left and scored on a Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.) ground out that gave the Bulldogs an 12-1 advantage.

With Bearns on second and senior Inaya Jones (Baltimore, Md.) on first after being hit by a pitch, Pickering helped add two more runs for the Bulldogs in the top half of the 4th inning, belting a three-run homer to left to pad the Bowie State lead at 15-1.

Bowie State added five more to their run total in the top of the 5th inning and finished the game with 12 hits off Elizabeth City State pitching and a 20-1 victory.

Elizabeth City State managed only seven hits over the two games and fall to 1-21 overall on the year, 1-7 in the CIAA and 0-2 in the Northern Division.

The Bulldogs will make its home debut on Monday (3/26), hosting Millersville (Pa.) University in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m
Bowie State Women’s Tennis Edges Livingstone 5-4

Gregory Goings

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On an abbreviated first day of CIAA Round-Up #2, Bowie State University women’s tennis edged Livingstone College 5-4 at the Coleman-Cuthbertson Courts on Saturday morning.

Freshman Kayla Bridgett (Upper Marlboro, Md.) along with sophomore Madeleine Ndema (Lanham, Md.) won their No. 1 doubles match by a score of 9-7. Bowie State’s duo of sophomore Kionza Allen (Laurel, Md.) and junior Jocelyn Williams (Washington, D.C.) captured a 9-7 win at No. 2 doubles for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs only doubles setback came at No. 3 when freshmen Bianca Tucker (Edgewood, Md.) and Oladia Menchaca (Landover, Md.) dropped an 8-1 decision to the Lady Blue Bears.

In the singles competition, Bowie State captured wins at No. 1 (8-1), No. 2 (8-6) and No. 3 (8-4). However, Livingstone was victorious at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, winning by scores of 8-0, 8-3 and 8-0 respectively.

The win improves the Bowie State Bulldogs to 2-3 on the year and 1-3 in CIAA play while the Livingstone Blue Bears fall to 0-6 and 0-5 in league play. Bowie State returns to the court on Sunday (3/25) and will face Winston-Salem State at 11 a.m. followed by a 2 p.m. match against host Johnson C. Smith.

 
Sweet Tosses Complete Game as NCCU Eagles Win Pitchers’ Duel
Attached photo courtesy of Red Rocket Photography.

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University senior pitcher Devin Sweet (Greensboro, N.C.) went the distance as he struck out a career-high 12 batters without a walk in a winning effort as the Eagles defeated Savannah State, 3-1 to open the weekend series at the Durham Athletic Park on Saturday, March 24.

Sweet threw the first nine-inning complete-game win for NCCU (17-7, 5-2 MEAC) since Sam Fulmer against Florida A&M on March 31, 2012.

The opening game of the weekend series with SSU (4-13, 1-3 MEAC) was completed in a brisk two hours and 10 minutes, mainly with the help of a combined 28 strikeouts from both pitching staffs. Sweet made his first turn through the order unscathed with five strikeouts, while Trevor McKenna (Brooksville, Fla.) recorded all of his first nine putouts by way of the punch out.

The Eagles were able to break through in the bottom of the third inning with three runs on RBI singles from Andrew Valichka (Pedricktown, N.J.), Zach Michalski (Belews Creek, N.C.) and Dominic Cuevas (Gurnee, Ill.) all in succession.

NCCU was able to make those runs stand up on the back of strong pitching from Sweet who didn’t allow a run until the eighth inning on a solo home run from Thomas Harper (York, S.C.). McKenna had a strong outing as well as he struck out 15 over seven complete innings for the Tigers.

At the plate for the Eagles, Jordan Varela-Payne (Rolesville, N.C.) marked another multi-hit outing as he went 2-for-4 in the second start of his career, and Michalski also went 2-for-3 with a walk
 
Bulldogs Softball Routs Elizabeth City State 14-1 and 20-1

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Bowie State University softball pounded out 23 hits in Saturday’s (3/24) CIAA doubleheader at Elizabeth City State University, routing the Lady Vikings 14-1 and 20-1. With the sweep, the BSU Bulldogs improve its overall mark to 5-8, 4-4 in the league and open division play at 2-0.

Senior Lindsey Fenner (Aberdeen, Md.) had a perfect day at the plate, getting four hits in four at bats and knocked in four RBI over the doubleheader. Senior Jacqueline Pickering (Bowie, Md.) and junior Tiffany Bearns (Lusby, Md.) racked up a team-high five hits each. Pickering accounted for seven RBI and hit her first home run of the season. Of Bearns’ five hits, two were doubles and she ranked second on the team in RBI with four. Senior Ja’seph Smith (Bowie, Md.) was second on the team in RBI against the Lady Vikings, contributing five.

After scoreless first inning of game one, Bowie State plated two in the 2nd inning and broke things open in the top of the 3rd inning, scoring 10 runs on nine hits to take a comfortable 12-0 advantage over Elizabeth City State. The Bulldogs added a run in the 4th and 5th innings for a 14-0 cushion.

Asia Spruill doubled down the left field line in the bottom of the 5th inning, scoring Trini Harris for the lone run of the game for the ECSU Vikings.


Senior Nicoleen Ochoa (Madison, Ohio) pitched all five innings, striking out one and faced just 18 batters, improving her record on the bump to 3-6.


Bowie State wasted no time in game two, scoring eight runs in the opening inning on just four hits and were never in any danger for the rest of the game.

The Bulldogs pushed three across the dish in the 2nd inning for an 11-0 cushion but the Lady Vikings got one back in the bottom of the second when Taylor Jones scored on a wild pitch.

Pickering began the 3rd inning with a double to left and scored on a Jaelyn Belt (Glen Burnie, Md.) ground out that gave the Bulldogs an 12-1 advantage.

With Bearns on second and senior Inaya Jones (Baltimore, Md.) on first after being hit by a pitch, Pickering helped add two more runs for the Bulldogs in the top half of the 4th inning, belting a three-run homer to left to pad the Bowie State lead at 15-1.

Bowie State added five more to their run total in the top of the 5th inning and finished the game with 12 hits off Elizabeth City State pitching and a 20-1 victory.

Elizabeth City State managed only seven hits over the two games and fall to 1-21 overall on the year, 1-7 in the CIAA and 0-2 in the Northern Division.

The Bulldogs will make its home debut on Monday (3/26), hosting Millersville (Pa.) University in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.